The Diary Of My Imminent Doom
by Honorary Viral
Summary: Nudge tried writing a diary once. She forgot on the second day. This way, I can keep my experiments hidden from Max. The main reason I'm doing this? Because Iggy dared me to. Well, okay, I also wanted to try keeping a diary, because what twelve year old guy doesn't? So welcome to The Diary of My Imminent Doom. It's only for a year, right? I mean, what's the worst that can happen?
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

 **Hey, this is my first fanfic ever, and my first time on this, so I don't really know how to use it. Anyway, the other chapters are gonna be longer, and I'll see if you guys like it. So...yeah. Enjoy**

Dear Diary,

I found this the other day, and was gonna use it for hiding experiments and stuff from Max, but I think a diary would be cool. I know Nudge tried doing a diary once, but she forgot to write in it. It would be awesome to beat her, so I'm gonna try keep this for at least a year. Or half a year. That'd work, too. Okay, the main reason I'm doing this is because Iggy dared me to. The thing that he doesn't get is that I can pretend to write, and he'll never know, what with his blindness and all. So, yeah, this is my diary: The Insanely Awesome Diary of an Even More Insanely Awesome Mutant Bird Kid Who Is Named The Gasman. TIADEMIAMBKWINTG. Yikes, that's a long acronym. Let's just call it the Diary Of My Imminent Doom. Because, I mean, I'm a twelve (nearly thirteen! Twenty three days, ninety one minutes, and seven seconds- yeah, I'm way too obsessed with this) year old guy, writing in a diary isn't exactly a way to fame. Unless I get a book deal. Possibilities, people. Anyway, some basic stuff: I am now twelve (nearly thirteen!), as I literally just said. Yeah, its been three years since The End Of The World (dun dun DUNNNN), and we're living at Max's moms place. Aka: the home of the best cookies in the universe. Its been pretty peaceful since Itex is destroyed and mostly all of the evil scientists got wiped out...yeah, they didn't really think that through, huh? I mean, what was the point of making a 'purer world' if none of them were gonna be around to see it? Ah well. Scientists these days aren't exactly up to par with social standards, I guess. So, the three years have gone past with the flock doing some sightseeing (believe it or not, even when you're flying through Paris or Rome or South Africa, you don't really pay attention to any of it when you're on the run. And this bracket is really long. So I'll end it now. :(). Holy crap, that bracket doesn't even look like a bracket with that face. Its like, he ate a bomb, it blew up, and then his mouth fell apart when he was puking it up. Oh, my God, that was literally the grossest analogy I've ever seen. I'm just gonna go now. Here's my entry for August fifth.

"GAZZY, IGGY. GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE NOW!" My grin widened. I glanced up at Iggy.

"Think she found the smoke bomb?" I asked innocently. Haha, please.

"Oh, I dunno. I mean, she couldve found out that we were the ones who raided the fridge last night," Iggy pondered, stroking his chin. I nodded.

"Mmm. Definite possibility. Or maybe it was the TV prank? Or the hole incident?" Iggy shook his head.

"Well, I guess we'll have to go find out. Tell me how pissed Max looks on a scale from one to ten." So we headed off down the stairs, hopefully not to face Max's wrath. Then I saw it.

"Iggy, there's something on the stair!" I exclaimed dramatically.

"What? Where?" He shouted frantically, moving his leg so it wouldn't hit the step. Of course, since there was another step, he misjudged it and faceplanted onto the floor.

"HAHAHAHA!" I cracked up. Ah, Iggy. He was cursing .

"Oh, Iggy. What would we do without you?" He muttered something under his breath.

"Certainly not laugh, since I'm the main source of entertainment round here," he groaned, rubbing his head. I nodded thoughtfully.

"True that." I hopped down the last few steps. Three, two-this is the moment where I declare my passionate eternal hate for Iggy.

"WHAT THE FLIP DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" I yelled at him, nursing my forehead. See, I would've walked down like a normal person, except Iggy had stuck his leg out, causing me to fall over it. Hence me now lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. I heard a loud sigh. Oh crap, are they the voices everyone talks about? Oh, God, please no-

"Can't you at least _try_ to be normal for once?" Max groaned. I peered up at her, then flicked my gaze to Iggy.

"I'd say a solid 8," I confirmed. Max turned her glare to me. "Uh, make that a 9. Definitely 9."

"Well, you see, Max, we have wings, so being normal isn't exactly-" she cut Iggy off.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I have a proposal for you both," she said calmly. We both raised our eyebrows.

"Max, I thought you loved Fang. But, if that's how you truly feel, then I suppose I could make it work." I swear, Max was ready to kill him then and there. But anyway. If I knew what she was going to say next, I would've ran for the hills. The rest of the flock stepped out from behind her. Woah, badass, much? Their expressions sorta ruined it, though. I mean, Fang looked like he was gonna kill someone. Then again, when doesn't he?

"School." As soon as it left Max's mouth, I knew we were screwed. Fang's scowl deepened. Never a good sign.

"Why not a desert island somewhere in the Pacific?" he asked Max. Oh, yeah, they're together now. Even though Fang technically cheated on her, and left her in her time of need, Max forgave him. He has his reasons, so I have too. But obviously, I'm not in love with him. Nope. I don't turn that way.

"Because, we need education, and, well, what else have we got to do?" Max argued. I personally agreed with Max. Plus, school means science. Yes, you heard right, school! We are _willingly_ going to one of those things! A quick word about the neighbourhood: Angel and I are turning thirteen and eleven this year, since we found out our actual, real life birthdays. The others just picked a random day. I think Fang's is the same as Robert Pattinsons. I wonder why. The oldest three are seventeen, and don't turn eighteen until late this year. Nudge is fifteen, and still fashion obsessed. And of course, Iggy and I haven't lost our touch with explosives. Then there's Ella...who's sixteen. And trust me, having eleven, fifteen and sixteen year old girls in one house is NOT an experience I recommend. I think I started dying on the inside on the fourth movie marathon. I can now quote movies that I would rather not know existed. But oh well, I guess it can't be helped.

"School is fun, Fang! New people, new opportunities, new everything! Plus, sports and cheerleading and I've always wanted to be a cheerleader. Remember that one time when we were in Texas-" I slammed my hand over Nudge's mouth. God, that girl can talk.

"Nudge, I thought we turned the channel off about two hours ago," I said solemnly. She rolled her eyes.

"I swear, Gazzy, you are so much like Iggy it's not funny." I grinned, and gave her a thumbs up.

"Hey, no objections there, bro. The Ig Meister's awesome!" Iggy puffed out his chest at that. Then my grin turned sinister. "But not as awesome as me, of course."

"Seriously, though, you two look exactly the same. Well, when Iggy was twelve, anyway," Angel put in thoughtfully.

"Nearly thirteen." I looked Iggy up and down. Same sticky up blonde hair. Same bright blue eyes. Even the same pale skin. If you shrank Iggy down in one of those things like in Charlie and the Chocolate Family, then yeah. Hold the phone. Charlie and the chocolate _family_?! What the actual frick? Actually, it would be awesome if my family was chocolate, so I could eat them if they were annoying...uh, yeah. Anyway.

"Twinsies!" We yelled in unison. "Double twinsies! Woah, wait..." We kept speaking at the same time. The others were cracking up.

"Just shut up, man," Iggy muttered.

"Hmm. Hey, do you wanna build a-" Max cut me off.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Gasman. We need to decide about school," she said strictly. Aw, come on! Dont shut down my Frozen reference, man. I feigned a yawn.

"Yeah, let's do it. School shmool. See you losers tomorrow," I flapped a hand, and walked off down the hall. Day-um, that badassness! Now I just need the explosions, and I'll be-  
Shite. Uh, I probably shouldn't have said that. Now, I'm gonna, uh, go see what just blew up, Diary, because I'm pretty sure the backyards on fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Okay, I just realised I forgot to do this, so here it is now. Disclaimer! Don't worry, I'm only doing one for the whole story.**

 **I do not own Maximum Ride.**

 **I never will own Maximum Ride. Also, four reviews on the first chapter! That may sound pathetic to you seasoned writers, but I've only been on here for a total of three days. So...yeah. Enjoy!**

Dear Diary,  
My badass moment just got intense. How so? Read on. As soon as I spun around, I heard Max yelling.

"Everyone, get down! Gazzy, get back here and explain why the heck the lawn is _on fire_!" I gulped as I walked back down the hall. I felt like I was on Death Row. Actually, knowing Max, I probably was. Lovely. I stepped through the doorway.

"Well, you see, uh...Iggy? You take it from here," I stuttered. He gave me a look.

"Um, no. It was your idea." I sighed.

"Okay, so we rigged up a _smoke bomb_ to go off," I began, eying Max cautiously. "It shouldn't of caught fire, though." I glanced at Iggy for support. He looked thoughtful.

"No, it shouldn't have. But we did put it by the archway with the trees...and there's a hose..." he trailed off.

"And maybe it set off the sprinkler, which caused the archway to catch fire" I finished. Max rubbed her forehead.

"You rigged up a bomb."

"A _smoke_ bomb."

"You rigged up a bomb by trees."

"Well, yes."

"And you didn't think that they would catch fire?" Max asked, peering at us over her hands. Well, when you put it like that, it makes us sound like a pair of dumb twats, like, I dunno, Edward and Jacob (Nudge made me watch all four of em. I was forever scarred).

"Well, when you say it like _that_ -" Iggy began.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" All six of us spun towards the scream. Ella came running out of the hallway. She started spurting peppy gibberish. Now, I don't know about you, diary, but I don't do good with normal gibberish. So PEPPY gibberish? Gah, puh-lease. I mean, I'm not SUPERMAN. Though my name is like it. Superman, Gasman. I could be the hero of farting! Oh yeahh. Anyway. Back to the peppy gibberish. Nudge was now squealing right along with her. How the FRICK did she understand any of that? Iggy raised a hand.

"Uh, for everyone who doesn't speak peppy squealing, can you explain WHY you're peppily squealing?" He asked. Gotta love him. They both gave him The Look. Y'know, the one so fatal it burns your organs and melts your brains.

"JOSH GREEN IS COMING TO ARIZONA!" Wow. I think my ear was just temporarily deafened. Hold on while I get my heating back.

"Josh who is doing what?" Max asked. Fang, Iggy and I gave her wtf-did-you-do-that-for-now-they'll-scream-again looks. Angel looked hopeful. "Really?" My damn sister...

"Josh Green is coming to Arizona," Nudge repeated slowly.

"Who's that?" Max, one day I swear, I will be standing over you with a large knife grinning maniacally.

"Only a really hot actor!" So that's why I don't know.

"And we're going to see him!" Ella cheered.

"Wait. We are?" Max asked. Oh my freaking _gawd_ , Max, just...seriously...

"YES! We will find him and get autographs and-" This is where I slapped my hand over Nudge's mouth. Iggy covered Ella's when she tried to speak. And when Angel started, I had to use my other hand. Jesus, people, I'm a mutant bird kid, not...something like a T. I dunno, a...nope. I'm stumped. Ideas, diary?

"Okay. When we take our hands away, you are going to slowly, calmly explain, with your inside voices. Got it?" Iggy said. Triple nods. Hmm. I peeled my hands away, and wiped them on my jeans. They exchanged mischievous looks. Uh oh. Before I could replace my hands, they all shouted loudly.

"WE'RE GOING CELEBRITY HUNTING!" Oh my freaking God, my _ears_ -

"AND ITS GONNA BE SO AWESOME AND I'M GONNA-" Diary, you may be aware of my skillset. One that involves gas and people passing out from the stink. Well, I decided to employ that certain skill right now. I went for the silent approach.

"SO WE CAN GO MEET HIM AND...HOLY CRAP GAZZY, WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?!" Nudge screamed. The others were clutching at their faces.

"Need...air...gonna...die..." Iggy breathed out. I scoffed at him.

"Weakling." Max was running for the French doors. Which led to the backyard. Which was currently _on fire_. Great foresight, Gazzy. Trap yourself in a stinking house. Crap.

"Fang, get the fire extinguisher!" Max yelled. He rushed off to the kitchen.

"Everybody upstairs, go go GO!" Max shouted, eyes flicking to the kitchen, impatiently waiting for Fang to get back. I didn't really feel like hanging around, so I raced after Ella, who is surprisingly fast. I heard Nudge, Iggy and Angel's footsteps pounding behind me. Really, this wasn't that bad, seeing as we've lived in dog crates and been experimented on, so I see it as excitement. I don't think Max really wants her moms' house burned down, though, and I don't really want to face Dr M's wrath, so I'm good with pretending it's the worst thing that's ever happened to us. Anyway.

"Gazzy, Iggy, how the _hell_ did you manage to pull _that_ off?" Nudge asked incredulously. I scratched the back of my neck. Yes, we made a mistake. Okay, a really dumb mistake. But honestly, people, could you please _stop bring it up?_ But I've gotta admit, it did look pretty cool. I repeated this to Nudge.

" _Pretty cool_?! The backyard is on _fire_!"

"Yes, yes it is. And Fang is currently putting it out," I said, pointing out the window. She looked.

"Fine. But you're telling Dr M," she warned. My eyes popped.

"Why not Iggy?" I exclaimed. Iggy smirked.

"Because Iggy's the poor, blind kid, who life gave the short straw, meaning he is therefore free of all charges," he said matter of factly.

"Poor blind kid my butt," I grumbled. Iggy cupped his ear.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Val was _not_ pleased. So unpleased, in fact, that she kicked us out. Let me explain. After Fang had put out the fire, we all just lounged on the couch, me arguing with Iggy about whose fault it was. 'You helped set it up!' 'I'm blind.' When we heard Dr M opening the door, we all sat up real straight. She eyed us suspiciously before entering the kitchen.

"How has your day been?" She asked casually.

"Good," we all replied in sync. The coolness.

"Has anything happened?" She tried again.

"Nope," we responded. She raised her eyebrows.

"So, what's this?" She pointed outside at the wreckage of her garden. We all winced.

"It was Gazzy!"

"It was not...only me!"

"He started it all!"

"He rigged up a bomb by _trees_!"

"We made a _mistake_ -"

"Iggy helped-"

"I'm blind," Iggy concluded. Dr M rubbed her forehead.

"Okay. I saw this coming. Everyone, I've got you a house a few numbers down," she said. We all stared. A house. We were going to have our own _house_.

"46. Enjoy," she tossed Max a key. Max caught it neatly, and looked at it in awe.

"Thanks, Mom," she said. To the rest of us: "You lot, pack your stuff. We're leaving." Wow, thanks. Your politeness is astounding. But I grabbed my stuff nevertheless. After I was done, I headed downstairs, dragging my suitcase behind me. Fang was already there. Iggy came down shortly after, followed by Max. Nudge and Angel were nowhere to be seen.

"Where the heck are they? How long does it take to throw clothes in a bag?" Iggy said to no one in particular.

"I dunno, but it must be a pretty big number," I replied. Finally, _finally_ , they came down, hauling massive bags along with them. Yeesh. Girls these days, huh?

"Okay. Let's go." Max headed for the door. We all followed suit. I shouldered my suitcase (it has these wicked straps, and a cord that pulls the suitcase along. It's awesome), and began the long, hard 10 metre trek to house number 46. It must've looked really strange to anyone else, six kids, ranging from eighteen to ten, walking from number 52 to number 46. Anyway. We filed down the drive, and stared at the massive door in front of us. It was a really dark red-grey colour. Verging on Fang's acceptable for a colour standards. Max put the key in the lock, and slowly turned. The door gave a click, and she turned the handle. The door swung...outwards! You know how all those doors in horror movies go inwards? Well, this one didn't. A bit disappointing, really, but oh well. Can't have everything, I guess. The hall was huge. Like, I'm talking _gargantuan_ (who invented that word? It sounds like an ape). There were pieces of fancy art on the walls, and tiny shelves for trinkets and whatnot. Wooden panels lines the walls. It was AWESOME. I sprinted inside, and rounded a corner, trying to get dibs on the best bedroom. I peered inside a tiny room, with a bed and a desk and a wardrobe. No room for anything, really. It also had that horror movie murder feel to it. No thanks. I moved on. This one was MASSIVE. I'm talking Madonna concert stage sized. Yeah. It was that big. Nah. Let Nudge have that one. She _definitely_ needs the space. I moved to the next one. Third time lucky, yeah? No. It just seemed...off. Like those rooms in horror movies that the wussy main character thinks is haunted, but turns out to be the only safe room in the entire house. But it still put me off. Then I saw the staircase. It had a really wide banister, so you could slide down it. It even had a freaking chandelier above it. How the frick did Dr M afford this? I get she's a vet, yeah, but this is just...jeez. I raced up the stairs, and flung open the door to the first room. And was met by a lounge. An _upstairs lounge_. Holy freaking frijoles, I'm officially living in Grand Designs. Without the reno. I wandered a little further down the hallway. There was another staircase. I walked up it, panting. Hey, all these stairs aren't good for my health. At the top of the stairs, there was one door. One. Please be a bedroom, I prayed. Cause the others will have taken everything else. I grabbed the handle, and slowly spun it. The door creaked open. And the last thing I saw was a bloody knife. Hahaha, no. That would be straight out of a bad horror movie (oh my gosh, I really need to stop referencing those). No. What really happened is I opened the door, and saw this awesome as room. It had a huge bay window, and wasn't at all scary and dark. It was light, and airy, and all the furniture looked like it was straight out of The Hobbit. It was small and cosy and nice. I needed this room. I was admiring the beams when Iggy burst in.

"Dibs!" He shouted. My jaw dropped. He couldn't take my room!

"What? This is mine!" I exclaimed. He shook his head, tutting.

"Uh uh uh. I didn't hear a dibs," he said, waggling his finger.

"You can't even see it!" I argued.

"I know. And now it's mine!" He grinned. I punched my palm.

"You might wanna hurry if you want to get a decent room," he advised. I just stood there, glaring.

"Like, now." He gestured to the door. I stormed out, and slid down the banisters. Every room I passed was taken. I got down to the ground floor when I realised my mistake.

"DAMN YOU, IGGY!" I yelled. See, the rest of the flock had chosen the best rooms. So what was I stuck with? The horror movie murder room. Yeah, I know. Life sucks. Well, that's all for today, and I'm about to turn out the lights. See you tomorrow, diary. If I'm still alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Hey everyone! Remember to go over to my Create a Character thing and submit your idea! I can't update until I get at least four. I know a lot of you are reading this (about 60, which is pretty cool for me, being new and all), but none of you are reviewing! 48 of you, to be exact. That's okay, 'cause I always hated people who asked for reviews, but now I see where they're coming from. Get an account and you'll see. Anyway, you can message me ideas for the story and I'll probably use them somewhere.**

 **Plus, thanks to Neko (I can't remember the proper name, so sorry Neko! Go to the reviews and you'll see her) for reminding me about Total (whoops!), otherwise I would've completely forgotten him, and also to kalk (again, she's in the reviews) for submitting a character.**

 **Enjoy!**

6/8/15

Dear Diary,

I am officially in a horror movie.

There's the creaking staircase, and the dark, stormy, well, actually, let me check that. Nope, not stormy. It's actually pretty peaceful. But that makes it more horror like! So, you're probably thinking, has Gazzy finally gone crazy? No. I have not. But I should've, really, judging the night I had. See, here's what happened:

I woke up. Yeah, this normally happens at the end, but now it's at the start. Why did I wake up? Because I heard a creak. Coming from the stairs. Let me remind you that I am on the bottom floor. That means that whoever is coming down either already walked past me...or didn't come through the front door. _Who wouldn't come in through the front door if they weren't murders?!_ Before you ask, diary, no, it didn't occur to me that it could've been one of the flock. Looking back at this, that was really dumb.

I'm getting better at paragraphs, diary, see? I've already done three. But I was really scared, and really curious, so I got out of bed and headed toward the door. Well, I only needed to take two steps, but whatever. Now would be a good time to mention that my door was _closed_ when I went to sleep. Right now, I didn't even need to open it, it was already wide open. I slipped out, and glanced around. Everything was still. I spun to face the stairs. Nothing. Well, then, I guess I have to track em down myself. I crept into the lounge. The grandfather clock (yes, we have one of those. This house is freaking freaky) ticked ominously. My vocabulary is expanding. Must be the fear. Or Dr M's tutoring. Eh. A floorboard creaked in the kitchen. My head whipped in that direction. I whip my head back an' forth I whip mah head back an' forth...heh, sorry. Blame Nudge. I tiptoed into the kitchen, wincing when my foot hit a creaky board. I heard running water. What, does this guy want a drink before they kill us all? How nice of him. I decided to take a risk. A dumb risk.

"Who's there?" I said. I didn't want to yell and wake up everyone else...a light tapping sound. What the heck?

"Oh, good. Someone's here. Did I wake you? Dreadfully sorry." You're kidding me. You are joking. Who was the evil murderer? Total. Back from his holiday with Akila. I felt so stupid. I swear, Max won't be the only dead flock member if I have anything to do with it...

"Muttering isn't very gentlemanly, don't you think?" Total observed.

"I thought you were a murderer. Why didn't you come through the _front door?_ " I asked. Total examined one of his paws.

"Thought I'd come through a window. It added a bit more... _excitement_ to it all," he explained reasonably. Reasonably my butt.

"Well, I'm awfully tired, so I'll go get some rest, and tell you all about Italy in the morning!" Total bounded out of the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes. I shook my head, then headed back to bed. May as well get some sleep. But that night, I overlooked one very important detail. And trust me, it came back to bite me in the butt, big time.

"Morning, everyone! Sleep well?" Nudge bounced into the kitchen, eyes bright. It's nine in the morning. How does she do that? There was a chorus of yeahs from around the table. I muttered. Then Total wandered in.

"Muttering again, Gazzy. You should take classes," he advised knowingly. I splayed my palms, and made...I dunno what they were. Knife gestures? Let's call them knife gestures, cause they sound cool. Then I let them drop, because it was pointless anyway.

"Well, I slept _very well_ in my room," Iggy began. I scowled at him. "My room is just _amazing_."

"Room stealer," I said to no one.

"What was that?" Max asked.

"Nothing."

"We're going to start school tomorrow! OMG," Nudge said happily.

"What?" I asked. Max smiled sheepishly.

"We had to start tomorrow. Mom's making us. So we've got to get the uniform today."

" _Uniform_?!" Uh, sorry diary, I dunno who got there first. A bunch of us said it.

"Relax. It's pretty laid back. Girls can wear shorts," she explained. So that's why she wasn't freaking out.

"Then let's go go go!" Nudge enthused. Honestly, Nudge...she can join Max and Total. Who'll be next? Soon the whole flocks gonna wind up dead. Needle and thread gotta get you outta my head, needle and thread gonna wind up dead...heh. That's the second reference this entry.

"I wanted to put us all in one high school, so here's what I'm thinking. Gazzy, you're thirteen this month, and you can easily pass as fourteen, so you'll be in freshman year. Angel, you're practically eleven, but we could hopefully squeeze you in as a short freshman. You're smart anyway, so that works. We'll say your twins. Nudge, Fang, Iggy and me will just be in our normal group," she explained. I nodded.

"Do I get to blow stuff up?" I asked.

"No," Max replied. Dang, I was really looking forward to that. I can always do it in secret... Fang caught my eye.

"Whatever you're thinking, no," he said firmly. Damn it...

"Well, what's the uniform like?" Iggy asked. Max grinned.

"You'll see."

Turns out, it's a really crap uniform policy. I mean, you can wear jeans, shorts, or skirts, as long as they have the logo, or sports uniforms. Pretty much every top is allowed, as long as it's either not pink, orange, or...that's pretty much it. I dunno why. I'll just keep my hoodie and jeans, to hide my wings. Even though it's not really necessary anymore, we still try to keep it a secret to avoid new people gunning for us.

"Okay, guys, we need to get the jeans with the logo on the back pocket," Max said. The back pocket? Why the heck would you put something there? Who would be looking? Just...nevermind, diary. And what's this about logos?

"The uniform didn't specify. You need to get the shorts, skirts and jeans that are the same for identity reasons," Max read off a sheet. "Just go pick two jeans or shorts or skirts, we don't need tops since they can be random...and we need Nike or Adidas shoes."

"I thought they were trying to stop brand discrimination," Iggy mused.

"I guess they suck at it," I replied. After another _two hours_ of shopping (apparently Nudge needed the cutest shoes and skirts and jeans), we finally headed home. Max called a meeting around the dining table.

"Okay. We need to go over details for school. If one of us says we came from Illinois, and another says China, we're screwed." Max was going over this because it would probably happen, diary.

"I'll go as Max Martinez, since I'm actually related to Dr M and Ella. No worries there. Nudge and Fang, since you look sort of similar, you'll pretend to be brother and sister. You can use the name Ride. Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel. Two of you are actually brother and sister, but Iggy's joining your family now. You'll be the Griffifths. Your parents are all missionaries, so Dr M is letting you stay in her house which she normally rents out. Everyone got it?" Um.

"Great. I got it. But just in case...tell me the whole thing again, I wasn't listening," Iggy said. Max looked annoyed.

"No Lego movie quotes, okay? That movie was terrible."

"It was not!" I argued.

"Yeah. Fang understands Batman. I only work in black, or sometimes very, very dark grey," Iggy intoned in a deep voice.

"Whatever. You are James Griffifths. Just remember that, okay?" Iggy frowned.

"Can people still call me Iggy?" He asked. Max threw up her hands.

"Yes!" She said, frustrated. I don't blame her.

"Can I still be Gazzy? Or do I need to be Zephyr again?" I asked.

"Am I still Ariel?"

"And me...?" Max slammed her hands on the table.

"Max Martinez. Nick Ride. Krystal Ride. James Griffifths. _Andrew_ Griffifths. Ariel Griffifths. Capiche?" She pointed tp each respective person in order. I furrowed my brow.

"Andrew? Where did _Andrew_ come from-"

"I made it up, because _Zephyr_ and _Captain Teror_ aren't exactly common names," Max said.

"Okay. I see your point."

"Good. Now, we have school tomorrow, so go get your butts rested up."

7/8/15 (half of it)

Diary, I couldn't be bothered doing a second proper entry, and I had spare time after my class, so I decided to add this. I'll finish it off later.

"MAAXXXX! I can't find my fluffy socks!" Nudge yelled.

"Do you need fluffy socks?" Max called from her room.

"Yes!" Nudge called back. I heard Max sigh. Haha, sucker. I was picking out my clothes for today. Let's see. Jeans, jeans, or jeans? Such a hard choice. I'll go with jeans. Because why not? I put on a blue shirt and shoved my hands in my pockets, whistling. I saw Max and Nudge run down the steps. I stifled a laugh. Okay, fine, I _did_ laugh. Max's hair was messed up, and her pyjamas were crumpled. Nudge, on the other hand, had perfectly straightened hair, make up, a school skirt which wasn't plaid, and a tank top. This image literally describes our lives right there.

"Gazzy, get breakfast ready. Angel? You nearly done?" She yelled up the stairs.

"Yeah!" Angel yelled back. I hopped into the kitchen to find Total there, eating delicately from a bowl of Cheerios. I looked at him.

"Hello, Total," I said.

"Hello, Gasman," he replied.

"The toast is in the pantry. So is the jam. I left the lid open for you," he said helpfully. I opened the doors. And found the jam, alright. Yes, the lid was open. Yes, the toast was there too. And yes, there were a thousand ants crawling over it.

"Total...when did you open this?" I asked.

"That night I saw you," he responded. I covered my face with my hand.

"Two nights ago? You left it open for two nights?"

"Yes, I did," he answered.

"You don't happen to eat ants, do you?" I eyed him cautiously. He jumped up.

"Ants! That would be completely barbaric! Something I am most certainly not!" He stormed out of the kitchen. Oh well. It was worth a try. Max came up behind me, fully dressed and showered this time. She took one glance at the mess in the pantry.

"Do I even want to know?" She asked, rubbing her forehead. I considered it.

"No. Probably not."

Twenty minutes later, we were staring blankly at our Sheets of Hell. Aka schedules.

"Yes! I've got science today...and homeroom? What the heck is that?" I asked cluelessly. Hey, it's been a while since this whole...school thing.

"Just go to the class. Meet some new people, Andrew," Iggy smirked.

"Oh shut up, James," I replied. I was in room 2. Hmm. I looked down the corridor, and saw room 1 was right next to the office. The next door read room 2. Score! I turned to the others.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but my homerooms right here, so see you suckers later!" I waved, before entering the class. And I was met by blank stares. About twenty kids and one teacher. Oops.

"Your name is?" She asked impatiently.

"Ga-Andrew. Andrew. Call me Gazzy," I grinned.

"Can I ask why?" A guy in front asked.

"You don't wanna know."

"Well, Gandrew, I'm afraid you aren't in this class. You may want to try room 2," the teacher said boredly. I frowned.

"Yeah, see, my schedule says room 2. And this door says room 2. Ring any bells?"

"This room is 42. Someone scratched out the number." I raised my palms.

"What the heck..." To the teacher, I said: "I'd say nice to meet you, but...nope. See ya!" I flounced out of the room. Now I was late. Ugh. May as well skip homeroom. I looked at my next class. Maths. And guess what room? 42. Oh, crap. As the students I'd briefly met filed out, I braced myself for my next class. I mentally prepped myself to waste as much time as possible.

"You hearing the voices? Do what they tell you," a girl said as she passed me. She sort of reminded me of Nudge. Same tan skin, maybe slightly lighter, same brown eyes, but this girl had light brown hair.

"What if they're telling me to kill you?" I found myself saying. Her eyes narrowed.

"Then ignore them and kill Spittal. Or Taylor. Or Grant. Preferably all three," And with that, she stalked inside.

"She seems nice," I muttered.

"Nevaeh Privett. Good luck, man. I've had to deal with her for three years already," a blonde boy said, slapping me on the shoulder.

"Is _everyone_ here like that?" I asked. He laughed.

"Only ninety nine percent. I'm Ross Taylor," he held out his hand.

"Andrew Griffifths. But call me Gazzy. Don't ask why," I returned, shaking his hand.

"Can't keep the witch waiting. Come on." Ross pushed the door open. I took a deep breath, before heading in after him. The teacher sent me a wry smile. I flashed a thumbs up back. Time to put all that High School Musical stuff into action.

"Dude, you _already_ know her?" Ross whispered as I sat down next to him. I nodded.

"Unfortunately. Whose brilliant idea was it to scratch out the 4?" I asked.

"Ah, thought it was room 2, huh? Yeah, I dunno. Pretty funny watching the newbies, though. No offense, dude," he added.

"None taken."

"We have a new student today, class. Andrew, stand up and tell the class about yourself, please," the teacher instructed.

"Well, I'm Andrew, but call me Gazzy. Don't ask why, you definitely don't want a demonstration. Uh, I like...pyr-pie. Yeah," Probably best not to bring up the pyrotechnics now. "And...I can mimic voices okay, too."

"Yeah? Let's hear it, then. Go on," Nevaeh challenged, her brown eyes daring me to do something. An idea formed in my head.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked mischievously. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, doofus, _you_ say something," she snapped.

"I don't know, doofus, _you_ say something. That good enough for you, your Highness?" I copied first Nevaeh, then the Queen. Call me quirky.

"Dude, I don't know what that was, but it was awesome." Someone who just entered exclaimed in awe. I looked over to him. This guy had the same sort of...what's the word? Aura! That's right. He had the same aura as Ross. And Ross was cool.

"Yeah, awesome," Nevaeh said sarcastically.

"Thank you. Thank you very much," I imitated Elvis, before sitting back down. The boy sat next to me.

"Jason. Nice to meet you. What brings you to our humble highschool?" He asked. I shrugged.

"The parents are missionaries. They're on a...mission. Super secret stuff, y'know? We're staying with a friend. I'm Gazzy."

"Cool. Well, ignore Vae Vae, she's... _special_ ," he whispered. I grinned. Nevaeh spun around in her chair.

"Watch who you're calling special, Lauton," she said. Jason shook his head.

"You know, you'd never think she had a personality under all that. She's actually pretty funny," he said in awe.

"She does have a personality. It just involves a whole lot of attitude, spunk and sarcasm," Ross replied.

"Class, today we're going to be doing a review from last term," the teacher (I really need to get her name, huh?) said. My jaw dropped. I stuck my hand in the air.

"Hey, I wasn't here last term, so I have no idea what the heck you're-" she cut me off. Rude! Why you gotta-nope. Won't do it. Resist the urge.

"All schools should have covered our last unit," she replied calmly.

"I was home-schooled." OHHHHHHHH. Can we get some ice for that burn? Ross and Jason snickered. Nevaeh raised her eyebrows at the teacher. Another boy with black hair and green eyes smirked.

"Your home-schooling should have covered it, then," she retorted.

"Well, what _was_ your unit last term?" I asked boredly.

"BEDMAS," she replied, smirking at me. I stared at her. Dr M's tutor had taught us that _our very first session in maths_.

"You're teaching _fourteen year olds_ BEDMAS? I learnt that when I was nine. Bring it," I challenged. She didn't reply after that. Gazzy-1 Annoying Teacher-0.

"Well maybe you'd like to go through all the answers. To the whole class. If it's so easy for you." Damn. I didn't wanna do it in front of the whole class! But I can't just decline it. Grrr.

"I'd love to." Annoying Teacher-5000 Gazzy-0

 **Sorry if Gazzy seems a little OOC (I think that's the right acronym) but I was sorta rushed to get this up before tomorrow, since I've got a triathlon. Also, important questions:**

 **Should I do longer updates (like, double or triple the size of these) once a week?**

 **Or keep the same size updates and post them three times a week?**

 **Choose wisely.**

 **-HV**

 **P.S. I'm serious about the character review thing. I'm updating, but I really need new characters. I can't update unless I get at least four more, like I said up there, and I know a lot of you have been on this, since it's had 98 views already. Sorry to nag, but it's necessary nagging.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Hola! How's things?**

 **So, I finally got those four characters! Thanks to the people that bothered.**

 **Anyway, Gazzy may seem a bit OOC in this chapter again. Let's just say it's highschool hierarchy getting to him.**

 **So, I was reading Forever last night, and you know what I noticed? How girl crazy Gazzy actually is. I was like: woah. So yeah. Sorry about the wait, but y'all didn't submit stuff fast enough. Anyway, it's slightly longer than normal, I think, so it's all goods.**

 **Enjoy!**

7/8/15 (the second part)

Dear Diary,

This is the moment we've all been waiting for.

The moment I've been building up to my entire life.

This.

Is.

SCIENCE!

Apparently my class only has, like, ten people in it, which is really weird, but kinda good, I guess. We get to do more experiments, so I don't ask questions. The teacher wrote all our names on a piece of paper, and we're drawing our partners out of a hat.

"Hey. Mind if I sit here?" Even though the person wasn't talking to me, I still turned my head. And holy _damn_. There stood a girl. I mean, I've never really cared about girls before, the only ones I've known being Max (who is taken by Fang and five years older than me), Angel (incest, anyone?), and Nudge (the only eligible option, but that's just...weird). But that doesn't mean I don't notice when I see a hot one. This probably sounds really weird coming from a twelve year olds mouth, but whatever. Iggy's rubbing off on me. She had this long blonde hair and was tall and had green eyes. I looked back at my worksheet, chewing my pencil. See, diary, I'm not as bad as Iggy, I'm not THAT girl focused.

"Hey, Gazza! Don't mind if I do," Ross snagged the seat beside me. Jason looked put off.

"Dude, I always sit there!" He complained.

"We're choosing new partners anyway," Ross replied. Jason sat down in a huff behind us. I heard Ross mutter something.

"Uh oh. TOD alert," he cursed. I paused in my work.

"TOD?" I questioned. Ross turned to me, exaggeratedly gesturing for me to keep it down.

"The Trio of Doom. Balza, Spittal and Grant," he explained.

"Balza, Spittal and Grant?"

"Courtney, Adrian and Peyton. I'll let you figure out the rest." The trio waltzed in, and took seats near the back. Adrian and Peyton had the same hair style. That was where the similarities ended. Peyton had dark blonde hair and brown eyes, was tan, and Adrian had black hair, green eyes, and freckles across his nose. Courtney was like a real life Barbie. Jeez.

"Okay, class. Partner choosing time!" Mr Reynolds said enthusiastically. Everyone groaned.

"Ross, you're up first!" Ross groaned quietly, before standing and walking to the front. He dug his hand around, different expressions twisting his features.

"Ooh, this feels promising...ow! Damn, paper cut...hmmm...maybe this one..." The rest of the class snickered/rolled their eyes/glared.

"Aha!" He pulled out a name. He opened it, and his face soured.

"Oh, man. Can I choose again?" He asked hopefully.

"No, Ross. Who'd you get?" Mr Reynolds asked.

"Courtney, malady! You and me are gonna be buds!" He exclaimed. Courtney looked at Mr Reynolds.

"I agree! Can he choose again?"

"No. Adrian!" He held out the hat. He reached in, and quickly grabbed one out. He groaned/sneered. Imagine a mixture of both.

"Nevaeh Privett. What a pleasant surprise!" He crowed sarcastically. Nevaeh's eyes popped.

"Oh, you're joking! No fair!" She moaned.

"Stop whining, Privett. Jason, you're next."

"Hmm. What if I get my sister? What if- oh. Back to that question: what if I get my sister?" He waved his sheet around in the air.

"Then you are with your sister," Mr Reynolds replied.

"Come on, Jade! You're with me," he patted a seat beside him. I grinned.

"Gazzy! You next."

"Oh, well, uh, okay," I said, drawing out a name. "It's, uh, Kaci. Kaci Waller."

"That would be me!" I turned. She looked like a super short version of Courtney, but with a real tan and freckles. This could be interesting. I truly hope she's a lot different. But I have a feeling she won't be. I took a seat beside her.

"And that leaves Peyton and Rebekah," So that's her name. "Get to know your partners! I'll be back in five minutes," Mr Reynolds said, rushing out of the room.

"Okay then."

"I'm Kaci, but you already know that. You're Gazzy, right? Weird name," she stuck out her hand. I shook it.

"Uh, yeah. I'm actually known as the Gasman, for pretty obvious reasons, but everyone just calls me Gazzy," I explained, rubbing my neck awkwardly.

"Well, Kaci doesn't mean anything. Why'd you move here?" She said, still smiling and bouncing in her seat. Gee, how much energy does this girl _have_?

"My parents are, uh, missionaries. They're on a...mission," Good one, Gazzy. The missionaries are on a mission. "I'm staying with a friend. Friend's parents. Parent." I winced. What the hell? She laughed. Then her expression turned serious.

"Okay, I really love science, and if you screw up my grade..." She trailed off threateningly. I looked up.

"I like science, too. Well, pyrotechnics, but yeah..."

"You're not serious. Confirmed pyro right here!" She exclaimed.

"For real? You like blowing stuff up too?" I asked. Screw what I said about her before. This girl is awesome!

"Well, I'm not very good at it, but yeah, I like doing it," she said embarrassedly. Is that even a word, diary? Damn, I should do this online. At least it has Spellcheck.

"Hey, I can teach you some stuff," I blurted out. Gazzy, Gazzy, Gazzy...eh. She seems nice. Some friends outside the flock would be nice.

"That would be cool. Look behind you," she added in a hushed voice. I inconspicuously (I hoped) looked. And snorted. Ross was arguing animatedly with Adrian, who was talking to Peyton, who was nodded occasionally, raptly listening to Rebekah explain something to him. Nevaeh was talking to Jade and Jason, while Courtney tried (and failed epicly, I might add) to get Peyton and Adrian's attention. Haha, no. When the door opened again, everyone went back to facing the front. I tried not to laugh.

"So! Turn to your right. No, you turn to your left...End two! Next two, and the other two are groups. You will be working in fours to burn your elements and record the colours. Simple, yeah? Get to work! Rebekah, you and Peyton can just be a two" I glanced to my right. And winced. Why, diary? Because sitting there, smirking and scowling in all their glory, were Nevaeh and Adrian. Joy. I think I muttered it out loud, because Kaci grinned. We sat there in silence. If you replaced Adrian with Ross or Jason or, heck, anyone else, even JEB, then it would be better than this.

"So. I'll get the Bunsen Burner," Kaci quickly stood up and walked off. Lucky. I turned to the other two.

"So, Navaeh," Adrian began.

"Nevaeh, Spittal. Get it right, will you?" She spat back.

"Right. Nevaeh. So...you got any plans for this weekend?" He asked. That's right, I'm pretending to be fourteen. So these people are all older than me. Ugh. I have to deal with their drama, now, I guess.

"Yep. And next weekend, so don't even ask," she retorted. I decided to try conversation.

"So...do you have any pets?" I asked randomly. _Do you have any pets?_ Good work, Gaz. Great. They eyed me weirdly.

"Uh, yeah. A dog," Adrian said cautiously.

"A cat," Nevaeh answered shortly.

"Polite pair you two are," I muttered. Holy crap, I totally just sounded British! Adrian snickered. Then realised he'd just been insulted.

"Why thank you. I do try," Nevaeh replied in an equally British accent.

"You can do it too!" I said.

"Mhm. Bet ya he can't," she pointed at Adrian.

"Five bucks," I answered. Please, Adrian...

"You lose, Nevaeh. Have some faith, would you, love?" He said. Both of our eyes went wide. Then Nevaeh's eyes narrowed.

"Don't call me love."

"Whatever you say. _Love_ ," he added mockingly.

"Yo, stop being British and help me get the other stuff!" Kaci called. Nevaeh stood up.

"Right. Nice talking to you! Bye!" She drawled. Adrian lowered his voice to a theatrical whisper.

"That's the nicest I've ever seen her. Probably doesn't wanna give you a bad impression." I raised may eyebrows.

"Is that what you're doing, then?" I asked, widening my eyes at him dramatically. He widened his back.

"Of course, bro. Cause once you've met the real me, you'll probably never talk to me again," he explained casually.

"Is everyone at this school messed up?" I threw up my hands.

"Not everyone. Only ninety nine percent." I pointed, and waved my other hand.

"That's what he said!" I exclaimed.

"I believe it's that's what _she_ said," Adrian cut in, raising his eyebrow. I shook my head.

"No, that's what Iggy would say. Ross said that before," I replied. He frowned.

" _Taylor_ said that? Damn, I've gotta go wash my mouth out. Hey, Rebekah, gimme that bleach!" He stuck out his hand as she walked past. She simply smirked at him.

"Finally realised that you needed to unsee certain things?" She asked.

"No, just give it to me-" he reached for it. Since Rebekah was still slightly taller than Adrian, she held it out of his grip with ease. I raised one hand as he made a close miss.

"Here, Rebekah. Pass it to me, I'm a freaking giant," I said. She chucked the can, which probably wasn't very safe, but whatever. I caught it, anyway.

"Aw, no fair. You're real tall!" He moaned. I smirked at him.

"I'm only, like, two inches taller than you, man." Holy crap, I totally just wrote mam instead of man. Lol! Thank God I'm writing in pencil.

" _Only_ two inches?" He gaped. I shrugged.

"Well, four point four centimetres, if you wanna be specific," I supplied helpfully. Rebekah held up her palms, and I threw the can neatly back to her. She jerked a thumb at Adrian.

"Good luck dealing with Alien here. Trust me, you'll need it." Then she spun and walked to her desk. Like a freaking badass. The last time I referred to something as badass, something caught fire. Oh, crap, what have I done?

"Ay, Gazzy! Get your ass over here!" Nevaeh yelled. I screwed up my face, and heard a laugh. Ross, Jason and Rebekah were chuckling by their desks. I stuck out my tongue, before heading back toward my doom. Hey, I named this thing The Diary of My Imminent Doom. Well, it was really a really long acronym which I can't remember. Maybe it's already coming true? Kaci was hunched over a test tube.

"Okay, this is the...potassium. Who's writing this down?" She asked.

"You know oxygen went on a date with potassium? It went OK," I cracked. Kaci barked out a laugh, while Nevaeh groaned. Adrian looked clueless, as usual.

"What?" He asked. Our eyes rolled. Imagine if our eyes actually, like, rolled back in our heads. That would be gross and awesome, cause you could see _inside_ your brain...

"Seriously, though. Whose writing?" We exchanged glances. I raised my hand.

"I'll do it," I replied. When she put the rod into the flame, it turned a deep red orangey colour. I scribbled it down. Kaci leaned over to inspect it.

"You have to write two words. Can't you at least do it neatly?" She groaned.

"Nope. You know, the reason I'm telling bad science jokes is cause all the good ones argon," I replied. She smirked.

"Whatever. Next up is...Rubidium," she observed. My eyes popped.

"They're letting _highschool kids_ , well, screw that, they're letting _fourteen year olds_ touch _rubidium_?" I exclaimed. The others looked at me strangely.

"Is that bad?" Adrian asked, taking a sip of water while Kaci prepped the beaker. I waved my hands at him.

"It's the third most explosive alkali element after caesium and francium!" I blurted. Comprehension dawned on him. Or so I thought.

"As in, Paris France? The country?" He questioned. I slapped my forehead. What are they _teaching_ in schools nowadays? First BEDMAS, then they let us use freaking rubidium, which would normally be awesome, but these guys have zero experience. Like Adrian, who was drinking. Beside the beaker... _holy crap_.

"Adrian. Back away from the table _very slowly_ ," I began, eying the water. Adrian saw it.

"What, you want a drink?" He asked, holding out the water. The rubidium was sitting in an open beaker, right below him.

"No, just..." Nevaeh cut me off.

"Just do it, Spittal," she said. Be like Nike! I shot her a surprised look. She rolled her eyes.

"It's rubidium. I'm not a total dummy," she defended. I raised my palms.

"Not saying you were. Now-"

"Shite." Adrian had dripped water down his chin, and was wiping at it with his hands. He shook them out. _Oh my god, is this boy brain-deaf?! How stupid_ is _he?!_ The three of us made hissing sounds.

"What? It's just water," He shrugged, flicking it to the side. I watched in horror as the droplets flew through the air, dead on course for...dun dun dun...the rubidium.

"Duck!" I yelled, diving under the nearest table. I felt Kaci and Nevaeh do the same. I heard the sparks, and was sprayed with water as it exploded. I stuck my head out and peered at Adrian through squinted eyes. His hair was blown backwards, and his arms were thrown up over his face. He lowered them cautiously.

"What the _hell_ was that?" I chuckled nervously.

"Well, there is a _reason_ the bar blew up when rubidium ordered a glass of water." The girls groans could probably be heard in Antarctica.

Lunchtime. I made it through my other classes without dying. I saw Iggy in the line.

"I swear I just heard someone spitting," he observed. I looked ahead at the food. Oh _god_. That's edible?

"At least you don't have to see it. Gross," I mumbled.

"Ah, Gasman. I can hear it," he muttered sadly.

"Hey, Gazzy, right? Impressive explosion. Adrian's pretty dumb, huh?" Rebekah said from behind me. I spun. Dumb? Is she serious?

"Dumb? You're joking, right? Adrian? No, he's obviously the next Einstein," I retorted. She grinned.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Don't worry, he's also an egotistical, cocky player whose guaranteed into the football team, or basketball. I can never remember which," she flashed a wry smile. "Of course, Adrian can never remember which either, since he thinks he's so fantastic at everything."

"He sounds like a great guy," I replied.

Rebekah winked, before saying one last thing. "Oh, and Gazzy? Stay away from the meatloaf. It's not really meatloaf." With that, she waltzed away. Leaving me thinking two things:  
1\. Dang, she's hot.  
2\. If the meatloaf isn't meatloaf, then what the heck _is_ it?

"Is she hot? She sounded hot," Iggy commented. I sent him an exasperated glare.

"Dude, don't even think about it. She's wayyy out of your league," I chuckled.

"So that means she's light years out of yours?"

"Oh, shut up, you know, I really think you-"

"Ig, I really think you should stop arguing about girls and order your food," a guy with white hair said from behind us. I turned around (again! One of these days, I'm gonna get whiplash. You heard it here first), and examined him. He was about an inch shorter than Iggy (which is pretty impressive, seeing as Iggy's almost 6'2), with these piercing blue eyes. He literally looked like Jack Frost from Rise of The Guardians. I waved a hand.

"Hey, stop checking _me_ out and start checking out the menu," he quipped. I just stared at him.

"Take a photo, it'll last longer," he supplied helpfully. Iggy was mirroring my expression. Twinsies!

"Are you two related? And no, this isn't the start of a bad pick up line. You look really similar." Iggy recovered before me.

"Brothers. This lil' pal's in freshman year," he said, slapping my shoulder.

"I don't recommend the meatloaf. It's not really meatloaf."

"I _know_ ," I snapped. He raised his eyebrows.

" _Smart_ freshman, eh? Let me give you some advice, bud, being smart around here doesn't get you any friends. It's a shark eat shrimp world out there. And right now, mate? You're the shrimp."

"Thanks. I love being called a shrimp when I'm two inches taller than everyone in my class," I replied hotly. But really, what the hell? Shark eat shrimp?

"I'm David. Watch out, shrimp-o," he gave a five finger wave-y thing, then walked away. I grabbed a tray, and piled masses of the first thing I saw onto it. Iggy raised his eyebrows.

"What's got you so annoyed?" He asked. I kept shovelling.

"That guy. I don't like him," I explained. He snorted.

"No kidding. But really, I know somethings off."

"How?" I insisted.

"You're stocking up on the meatloaf." I looked down. Uh oh. I dumped my tray, and got a new one.

"There we go. No problem."

"That lady looks like she'll have our head, and pull out your brains through your nose, and stuff your skull with spices, like the Egyptians do," he supplied. I looked at him.

"I think schools doing you bad," I concluded.

"Grammar," he tsked.

"C'mon. Let's go find a seat."

"Hey, I'm sitting with my new friends. Find your own," he shrugged, then headed off in the same direction as David. That traitor...I scanned the crowd for the rest of the flock. Angel and Nudge were sitting on their own. I internally chanted. Be a loner or lose my manhood? Be a loner or lose my manhood? Of course, I chose option B. I headed over there.

"Hey, Gazzy! How's highschool?" Angel asked happily.

"Dandy," I replied, sitting down next to her.

"I met all these new people, and they're so cool, and-" I leaned over the table and slapped my hand over her mouth.

"Nudge. Stop. Rant to your new friends about Josh Green," I said. Her face lit up.

" _Yes_! We can all go _together_!" She beamed. I tried to backtrack. No _way_ did I need more preppy teenage girls around.

"Uh, well, I think that we should, well, really, ummmmmm..." I trailed off.

"GAZ!" Ross yelled. Oh no. If these guys meet...

"Hey," I said glumly as he sat next to me. Jason came over and took a place beside Nudge.

"Hi," he said to her. Then to me: "Hey, nice explosion!"

"Thanks, but really, blame Adrian," I said.

"Nah, it was hilarious. Can't give him credit for that." And then _who_ decided to come over? Kaci!

"Hiya. I'm Kaci, and since I'm pretty sure these two haven't introduced themselves, that's Ross and the other one's Jason," she introduced. She sat on the other side of Nudge.

"Did y'know, Adrian actually got us an A, for showing the reaction of rubidium with water," she went on. My eyebrows rose.

"Seriously? This _is_ Adrian we're talking about, right?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded.

"Yep. The very same one. Anyway, who're your friends?" She questioned. Oh, right. Nudge and Angel were here. I remembered that.

"Oh, uh, this is Angel, my...twin sister, and that's Nudge, who's staying in the same house as us," I explained.

"Yeah yeah yeah. We were wondering if you wanted to come check out the concert at the mall. It's just random bands playing, and they're saying Josh Green might be there-" Nudge cut Ross off.

"Gazzy, you are going to that concert, and can we come too? Yes? Yay! Then we don't have to go out and randomly walk around to try and find-" I reached over (again! My hand is getting freaking sore) and clamped my hand over her mouth. She pulled it off.

"Okay, okay. Point taken. But I'm coming," she said.

"Great." We ate lunch for another twenty minutes, before heading off to our last classes. I'll skip history, because it's boring and I don't even know why they teach it. I mean, who wants to know about what a bunch of dead people did when they were alive? Who cares how we came to be like we are, it just matters that we _are_. Huh. That was pretty speech-like. I should join a debating team!

"English, why must thou torture thy so?" I whined. We were learning poetry. _Poetry_. Only emo kids like Fang write poetry! When will poetry help you in life? When you're beating up Erasers? Saving the world? Um, no. I don't think so.

"You will write a poem about your first day of school, Andrew. Everyone else, write about how your year has gone. Everyone okay?" Mrs Roberts asked. She was real nice, but the poetry made me hate her. I chewed my pencil thoughtfully.

"Poetry is dumb," Ross groaned.

"I know. It's like, who needs to express what they're feeling on paper? Man up and do it in the real world!" Jason complained. Kaci shoved them.

"Aw, you guys. Poetry is meant to express emotions, and describe beautiful memories from the past," she gushed. We all burst out laughing.

"Yeah, okay. Ooh! I got it," I exclaimed, grabbing my pencil forcefully.

"Woah, take it easy, mate." I started writing.

My First Day Poem (very original title)

First I thought the door said number two,  
But then it turned out to be the wrong room,  
In maths I sorta think I mighta pissed off the teacher,  
Now she probably thinks I'm a pretty horrid creature.  
In science I was with the idiot Adrian,  
Who blew up the class using rubidium,  
Then I met this absolute oaf,  
And I was so annoyed that I got the meatloaf.  
After that I had history and got some good sleep,  
And now I'm writing poetry instead of counting sheep.  
So overall today I'm not feeling real happy,  
And I'm pretty sure of all my days that this has been most crappy.

By The Gasman

I held it out proudly to the others. They cracked up. Mrs Roberts came over.

"Andrew, maybe you would like to read your poem to the class, if it's so hilarious?" She asked. I nodded.

"I completely agree. This stroke of genius should totally be shared." I stood up and cleared my throat. All eyes turned to me.

"So, this is a poem about my first day of school. Enjoy!" I read it out. Mrs Roberts looked disapproving, and everyone else was laughing.

"Andrew, you may be seated," she said. I gave her a salute.

"Yes ma'am." So, hey. Maybe poetry isn't so bad after all.

 **So, rubidium is supposed to be really explosive. Also, if it's small enough, it can just cause small explosions, so if you're a chemistry nut, don't go all science-y on me.**

 **I'm really into chemistry jokes at the moment, so look forward to more in the future.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Hey everyone! I don't have much to say in here, so I'll just let you get on with it.**

 **But I just had to add Akarnae in here! Don't worry, I won't give any spoilers. If you have read Akarnae, though, PM me! I'd love to rant on about it! And the events of Raelia...**

 **The tension escalates!**

10/8/15

Dear Diary,

Nothing is happening! Apart from today and school, I've been slowly dying of boredom. Adrian has started being more of a, well, there's not really any words that are rude enough for him. Peyton has begun his TOD behaviour. David is still strange. Rebekah is still hot. Kaci, Ross, Jason, the flock, Ella, a horde of preppy teenage girls and I are still going to that concert thing tonight. Such fun.

"Gazzy! Hurry up! Your friends are here!" Nudge yelled. I covered my ears.

"Nudge! I'm right here! You don't need to shout," I muttered, walking out of my tiny murder room. I always leave the window open, and the curtains flutter, and its creepy as all get out. The lounge is right across from my room, so I just go straight ahead. Max, Fang and Iggy were talking to Kaci, Ross and Jason. It was creepy, they actually looked sorta similar. Max and Kaci both had blonde hair, same with Ross and Iggy, while Fang had black hair and Jason's is dark brown. Oh no.

"Whatever they told you, it's probably not true," I blurted. The all grinned.

"Oh, we didn't say anything bad. Not at all," Iggy grinned. Does anyone else find that misleading?

"We just talked about some...things from the past few years," Max winked.

"Like the whole cat thing? And the restaurant thing, and the walk in thing, and-" I cut Kaci off.

"Okay! I get it! I'm an idiot," I raised my palms. I'm guessing you want the stories now, huh? Well, the cat thing. So, I got this cat about two years ago, and then, soon it disappeared. Where did it go? Apparently the neighbours cat died a week or so before I got mine, and she thought my cat was her cat, and gave it food. That food was better, I guess, so my cat imitated her cat, and stole her food!

The restaurant thing. Fang, Iggy and I went out for dinner one time, and Iggy had just gone to the bathroom. The waitress came up and commented on what a lovely couple we were. She said Fang was lucky to have 'such a unique young lady'. Then when a waiter was bringing our food over, he hit on me. Fang and Iggy sure got a kick out of that. And lastly:

The walk in. Oh, god, I wish I could bleach my mind. See, I wanted a snack, as you do, and walked into the kitchen. To see Max and Fang making out. It was seriously mind wrecking. So I covered my eyes, spun around, and walked right into the microwave. My nose started bleeding, and my face was still covered by my hands, so I ran into the bench. Then I face planted, _opened my eyes_ , and, dunking my face in boiling, soapy water, I slithered down onto the ground, writhing in agony, while Max and Fang were cracking up. I guess my eyes _were_ sort of bleached. Gah, the irony.

"So, we're coming with you," Max said. I groaned.

"Yeah, my seventeen year old brother is just who I wanna hang around," I grumbled.

"All goods. So, are we ready-?" Nudge squealed. Oh dear. What _now_?

And then the horde of teenage girls came running in.

It was like a mob, I swear. There were about fifteen of them. They kept talking and screaming and I would rather watch the Human Centipede than go through that again.

"Okay! Everybody listen up," Max yelled. No one did. I chuckled.

"Max, my naive friend, you're doing it all wrong," I tsked, then mimicked a loudspeaker. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" That did it. They all froze, and turned to me.

"As great as your screaming is, I really don't wanna go deaf any time soon, so we're gonna go. Nudge, you and your friends can walk, since there aren't enough seats in Dr M's car. We'll see you there!" I explained. They all restarted their noises, and filed out the door. I slammed it shut behind them.

"Phew. They're gone," I sighed in relief. Max gave me an approving look.

"I've taught you well," she observed.

"I know," I grinned back. The drive was only five minutes. Since it was a six seater, Jason, Ross, Kaci and I were squished in the back.

"Well, this is comfy," Jason commented, laying back over the rest of us' knees. Kaci shoved him onto the floor.

"For you, maybe."

"Did a waiter _actually_ hit on you?" Ross asked.

"Yes," I spoke through gritted teeth.

"And did you really faceplant into the sink?"

"Yep."

"And did you _really_ -"

"Oh, look! We're here! I guess we'll have to ask questions about me later!" I exclaimed, and jumped out of the car. I heard the others snickering.

"So. This concert..." I trailed off. Jason smiled nervously.

"Well, about that. It doesn't actually start until like, four hours from now. So I guess we have to look around first!" He clasped his hands together. I facepalmed.

"Okay. I have no idea where to go, or what to do, so-" Just then, Nudge and Ella and Angel, along with their mob, sorry, friends, came in view. "Abandon what I just said. Initiating, Operation: ACSGAAC." The others gave me weird looks.

"Operation: ACSGAAC?" Jason asked.

"Avoid Crazy Screaming Girls At All Costs," I explained. They nodded seriously. I turned to Max, Iggy and Fang.

"You lot coming?"

"We'll just walk around on our own, but Iggy will," Max said, shoving Iggy towards us.

"Why thanks, Max. It would be my _absolute honor_ to go with the fourteen year olds," he deadpanned. I grabbed his arm.

"Shut up, we need to go _before_ they get here! So run like hell," I said, yanking him in the direction of the doors.

"Gazzy! Where are you going?" I heard Nudge shout. I cursed.

"New plans, split up and meet in...Barnes and Noble!" I yelled. They nodded, before taking off.

"Let's just hide out in there for a minute," I suggested, nodding to the toilets. Yeah, they _probably_ wouldn't follow us in here. I hope.

"I don't know where there is, but I'm hoping it's a Victoria Secret modelling agency," Iggy commented as I dragged him inside. See Diary? This is where I get my brain from. How am I still surviving?

"Uh, sure," I replied. He groaned.

"The _bathroom_ , Gaz? I can hear and smell the pee more than you, remember?" He complained.

"Then I'm glad I'm not blind," I muttered. Y'know, I always wondered how Iggy went to the toilet. Did he feel for the bowl or something? And all those times he's handed me food...he better wash his hands properly.

"I actually needa go, so I'll see you later," he said, walking into a stall. I wandered around the corner, and took a seat on the couch. Bathroom couches. I'm really living the life, eh Diary? I blew air out through my cheeks. I'm not a very patient person, Diary. My foot tapped. It made such a noise that I didn't hear the other footsteps. Yes, you heard me, _other footsteps_. An arm wrapped around my throat, and I gagged.

"Who-" I spluttered, before the offender covered my mouth. Somehow, I didn't think biting it would be a very good idea.

"When I let go, don't scream, or your friend dies," the voice said. I'm guessing they meant Iggy, who was still peeing. Thanks for being here for me, Ig. I nodded, and the person released their hand. I twisted around in my chair, and looked at them. It was a guy, around Iggy and thems age. And he was seriously attractive. Before you start asking questions, Diary, I like girls, as I'm pretty sure I've established in, well, every entry I've written so far. But this guy was like, wow. I mean, even if you didn't like either gender, you'd still find this guy hot. He had weird amber eyes, and black hair. I'm not going into detail, because y'all would think I was an obsessed stalker, so I won't.

"Do you remember Itex?" He asked. His voice was really...musical? I dunno. It was strange.

"Um, yeah," I replied.

"I'm going to warn you, because I think warning one of the younger ones is rather fun, yes? No one believes them, they turn out to be right, the villain wins."

"Okay. Go ahead," I said uncertainly. He chuckled.

"Something bigger than Itex is coming. Bigger than Doomsday. Bigger than the Remedy," he intoned. I nodded.

"Yep, sounds great. When should I be there?" I asked. His eyes twinkled.

"You'll soon see. Until we meet again, Gasman." With that, he strode off. Well, that was vague. I mean, couldn't he have been all like, 'hey, Gaz, I'm gonna destroy the world in two days! Have fun in the afterlife!' Then I would at least know _when_. But _nooooo_. All I get is, 'Something big is coming'. I mean, not even _Fang_ would be that vague. And that's saying something. Just then, Iggy walked in. WHAT THE HELL IGGY CAN'T YOU SHOW UP TEN SECONDS EARLIER WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY NEEDED?!

"What'd I miss?" He asked obliviously.

"Nothing, Ig. Nothing." We headed 'round the corner to where Barnes and Noble was. The others were already there. Kaci was pointing at a bookshelf.

"Ross, stop being such a wimp! I dare you to read it," she exclaimed. He shook his head fearfully.

"No way, man. You're so obsessed with it, I don't wanna be like that." Then he spotted me. "But Gazzy will! Right, Gaz?"

"What am I doing?" I asked. Kaci jabbed a finger at a book.

"I dare you to read it. Then I can talk to someone about it," she said. I shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever. I don't back down from dares. Ar-kay-ny? What's that?" Kaci sighed frustratedly.

"Ar-kah-nay. Take my copy. We've got four hours. Chop chop," she made cutting motions with her hands.

"You want me to read it by the concert?" I gaped. I can't read _that_ fast.

"Trust me, it's an easy read. Sit," she pointed to a chair. "And read it." I obliged. What else could I do?

"Meet us in the food court once you've finished." I frowned, and opened the book. What did I have to lose?

Four hours later, I was sitting there, staring at the pages, with a stupid grin on my face. Kaci was right, it was a fast read. I was already three quarters of the way through it. Jordan is like, my new idol. He is legit like me and Iggy. He is the same _age_ as Iggy. Creepy. And Aven...Yeesh. The concert's two hours, so I can probably finish it before it's over. I put my head down, and went back to reading. Once I turned the last page, I let out a sigh. I yawned, stretched, and stood, grabbing the book. I exited the store. Woah. When did it get so dark? I froze. Crap. Where was the food court? I looked up, and saw a giant arrow. Guess what it read underneath it? Food court. My life is complete. I ran in that direction. Holy crap. The food court was empty. All I could hear was a thrumming sound. I slapped my forehead. The concert! I backtracked. Which way...Follow your heart, Gaz. Well, if I did that, then I really wouldn't be leaving the food court. The music was coming from...the left! Let's run randomly in that direction and hope for the best. As I turned the corner, the noise got, like, 20 times louder. Right. I saw the others dancing like idiots. Kaci saw me first.

"Hey, Gaz! You finish it?" She yelled. I did a thumbs up. She pumped a fist.

"Yes! Okay, now: what if I told you there was a sequel?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Are you saying there _is_ a sequel?"

"I'm not saying there is or isn't a sequel. I'm asking what you'd think if there was," she replied. Okay, I'm starting to lose this conversation.

"Well, if there was a sequel, it would be cool," I said slowly. She grinned.

"And what if I told you that this sequel was coming out in two weeks?" Her grin widened.

"Stop! Is there a sequel or not? If there isn't, you better get ready to run..." I trailed off.

"Raelia," she said simply. What? What the heck is Raelia?

"The sequel is called Raelia," she clarified. My jaw dropped.

"Oh my God! Yes!" I squealed. I can't believe there's a sequel-hold the phone. I _squealed_. Squealing is for mice, or little puppies, or, I dunno, anything that's not humans. Okay, maybe preppy teenage girls squeal. _Not_ nearly teenage guys. Kaci was watching me with a smirk. I shut my mouth and stood there in silence.

"Anything else you wanna comment on?" I didn't reply.

"Positive?" She pressed. Still no answer.

"Alright, Gazzy. Whatever you say-or don't say, in your case." She went back to talking to Jason. I glanced up at the stage. There was a pause while they swapped bands. There was a girl who looked vaguely familiar, a super short red head guy, and...woah. The last guy was really tall, really muscly, and had super strange hair. It was black, with this silver streak going from the front to the back. Jeez, I'm describing everyone in way too much detail today, huh? The girl yanked the microphone out of the other person's hand.

"Okay, so I got dared to sing a song, and I don't back down from dares. So don't blame me if I suck," she said. Ross paused in his conversation.

"Is that... _Nevaeh_?" He gaped, staring at the stage.

"Gotta be," Kaci muttered.

"Why is she _singing_?" Jason asked.

"She literally _just_ explained-"

"Hey, Gasman. Others," David strolled over casually. This _freaking_ guy. Can't he let me enjoy my weekends in peace?

"Holy cripes. You look like Jack Frost," Ross exclaimed. David winked.

"Hey, no objections there. All the girls like him, so it's all good, yeah? What do you think?" He turned to Kaci, his eyes twinkling. She grinned.

"I'm internally swooning. Believe me," she seemed to be holding back a laugh. What the heck?

"See you later. The shrimps are delicious, by the way." He turned and walked away, maneuvering his way through the crowd.

"See you later! The shrimps are delicious," I mimicked, and Ross snorted. Kaci scowled.

"Come on guys, he's not _that_ bad," she reasoned. I nodded seriously.

"No, you're right. He's worse," I said agreeably. She threw up her hands.

"Why do you care so much, anyways? Do you like him?" Jason asked. She slapped her forehead.

"No, he's my friend-"

"More like _boy_ friend," Ross crowed. She glared at him.

"Puh-lease, Taylor. I think we all know about your thoughts on Nevaeh," she smirked. Ross' mouth dropped open.

"Don't act like you don't," she sang.

"But-but I don't!" He sputtered. I raised an eyebrow, unsure who to defend. I met Jason's eyes.

"I dunno who's side to take either, man. I'm on the fence." The speakers started blasting.

"Wait, wait, shut up. This I gotta hear," Ross held up his hand, cutting off Kaci, and listened to the song. His eyes popped.

"She's actually doing it. Oh, man, this is hilarious," his face contorted into a weird half laugh half disbelief sorta thing.

"YOU dared her?" Kaci accused. Ross flapped a hand.

"Well, _yeah_. You gotta admit, seeing Miss Spunk the Grump sing Uptown Funk is pretty damn funny," he reasoned. I snickered.

"Miss _Spunk the Grump_? Where did you pull THAT from?" Kaci asked incredulously.

"Oh shut up," He muttered. I tuned out their bickering and focused on Nevaeh's singing. It was actually half decent. Not amazing, just decent. I searched the crowd for Max and Fang. Hopefully Iggy had found them, so I could tell them all about that strange whacko guy from earlier. I shoved my way through mass numbers of people, muttering apologies.

"Sorry, excuse me, coming through, sorry!" I yelped as someone grabbed my shirt. I looked up at the offender. Girl. Dark purple hair and lighter eyes. Hot. Hey, I told you I'd shorten the descriptions.

"Watch where you're going," she said mildly, not angry in the slightest. What the heck...

"Sorry, ma'am," I mumbled, before rejoining the crowd. Something about her was really creepy. Well, more scary-like. But still. The others were dancing by the front of the stage. Badly. Oh lord. I barged my way towards them.

"Yo, guys! I have something to tell you!" I shouted. Max stopped her dancing.

"Yeah?" She asked loudly. I nodded. She motioned for the others to stop, tapping Iggy's hand. I took a breath.

"Well, when I was in the bathroom, this guy came up to me, and he said something about something bigger than Itex and Doomsday coming," I explained simply. Max shook her head.

"Gaz, it's after the apocalypse. No one wants to destroy the world anymore." I groaned in frustration.

"That's what he said you'd do! No one'll believe me since I'm the second youngest! I'm nearly _thirteen_ , Max. I know what I saw!" I yelled. She opened her mouth, but I continued.

"If it was you or Fang, or even Iggy, you wouldn't hesitate. But since it's me, you don't. Even Angel has more leverage than me! I'm sick of it!" I shouted. Max raised her eyebrows.

"You didn't mention Nudge," she pointed out.

"I'll bet you think she;s more trustworthy than me any day," I said evenly. Max narrowed her eyes.

"Gazzy, Max has looked after you since you were a toddler. Don't you think you should be more grateful?" Fang interjected. I looked at him in exasperation.

"You only trust Max, and that's because you can make out with her whenever you want! If she left, you wouldn't care about the rest of us." Oops. I gulped as his face hardened. That may have been too far, but hey, I was angry, alright? They've never listened to me.

"Okay, then. Go live on your own for a couple days. See you tough it is surviving in the slums. What we did for you when you couldn't do it for yourself," Fang said. Max sent an uncertain glance his way, but didn't argue. That's how much I meant to them? Wow, guys. Gee, thanks.

"I see how it is. But when he shows up, don't say I didn't warn you." I stalked off back to where my friends were. My _actual_ friends. Ones that cared if I made it through the night. But when he does come, Max will regret not listening.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Heya! So, this one is where it starts to get a bit deeper, and it may not be as funny as previous entries. I'll aim for milk-coming-outta-your-nose-funny next time, yeah?**

 **Sorry for the wait, but I've got all this extra stuff, and the only chances I really get to update are Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, which doesn't leave much time for writing. I also feel like I've forgotten something this entry, but I'm sure I haven't.**

 **This is getting boring! So! Onwards and out, or whatever you say.**

14/8/15

Dear Diary,

It's Day 3 of slum living. It's actually been alright, since I've been staying with Ross. He didn't ask questions, and neither did his mom. My liking for her immediately went up. I learnt a lot more about him, too. Like his parents are divorced, and he was considering suicide for most of seventh grade. But enough of the deep stuff. I was currently standing on the edge of a building, looking out at the view. The wind was really strong up here, I actually don't know how I was still standing. Maybe it's a new skill! About time I get one, seeing as Angel has a freaking barge of 'em. I heard a tap behind me, and spun, losing my footing and slipping backwards.

"Ow..." I grumbled, rubbing my head. A chuckle sounded from above me. Holy crap, is this guy just gonna start showing up _everywhere_? I scowled.

"Your plan worked. Are you happy?" I asked.

"Ah, not yet. You know, Gasman, I think Fang deserved that," the guy from the bathroom said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, great. My stalker agrees with me. What did I do to deserve this, huh? Was it all the toxic farting? The pranks? The explosives?" I asked.

"Oh, no, nothing bad. I just thought I'd show you what you were up against. Try to fight me," he said assuringly. Somehow, I wasn't assured. But I did it anyway. I launched myself at him, sending a punch to his gut. Or, I tried to. So, before I explain what happened, I am unnaturally fast for a teenage boy. Nearly teenage boy. Fourteen days. And I am pretty strong, too. But this guy...he moved like...something fast. A cheetah. Yeah. He was really fast, and he caught my punch, threw me to the ground, and stood over me. All before I could blink an eye.

"Generation 95. Nothings better," he crowed. I lifted my head a little.

"What about Gen 96?" I asked weakly.

"There is none. Nothing can be more advanced than Generation 95. You should go home, Gasman. The others need you. In more ways than one." My brow furrowed at that

"Wha-" and then stalker dude pushed me off the roof. My wings snapped out instinctively, and when I looked back, he was gone. And I didn't get his name. Again. Come on! I zoomed home, and ran through the door, eyes darting around.

"Gazzy? Is that you? Please say it's you," I heard someone plead. It felt really...cold. I pulled my beanie out of my pocket and jammed it on my head.

"Yeah. It's me. Where are you guys?" I called.

"The living room. It's...it's bad," I recognized the voice as Nudge's. Before I could enter, she came running out of the living room, and hugged me. I felt her sobbing, so I put my arms around her.

"What happened?" I asked seriously. Nudge pulled away from me and wiped her eyes.

"Follow me," she said quietly. She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the lounge. On the couch was a shivering figure, bleeding in various places. Then I got a look at their face.

"Angel?!" I exclaimed in horror, rushing forward.

"Stay back!" Fang and Iggy yelled, while Nudge held me back.

"What? Why? Angel's my sister! My actual sister!" I struggled against Nudge, but jeez, she's strong. I stared at Angel. Her face was scarily pale, and bruised. She was rail thin, and had cuts everywhere. Iggy pointed wordlessly to where Max lay crumpled on the ground beside the couch. Angel's hand was clamped firmly around her wrist, her face twisted in agony.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded, facing the other three.

"We don't know. One minute, she was asleep, then she woke up screaming like...this. When Max went to help her, she grabbed her wrist, and she's been like that since then," Iggy said quietly.

"When?" I breathed out.

"Two days," Fang said. That was...the day I left. Oh my God. I rubbed my face, then looked up.

"Do you believe me about that guy now? He told me to come back here..."

"Yeah. It must be him. But...why?" Fang asked.

"I don't know. I really don't."

The rest of the day passed by painfully slowly. Iggy didn't crack one joke. Nudge barely spoke. I didn't blow anything up. It was odd, without Max and Angel. At dinner, we had a meeting.

"What do we do about this guy? And...the others." Nudge questioned. I shook my head and took a bite of my pasta.

"We can't really do anything. So I guess we just wait," I said. They nodded.

"God, I wish Max and Angel were here. I miss them fighting. And I never thought I'd ever be saying that," Iggy mused.

"Well, I guess we just have to make do until they wake up. Which they will," I said firmly. I hoped.

We had just finished dinner. And had to walk back through the lounge to get to our rooms. As my eyes landed on Angel, I froze. So did the others. Fang walked up to Max, but made sure to stay a safe distance away. I heard him whisper something before turning around.

"Guys, we have to find this person. If they can do...this," he gestured behind him, "then they need to be stopped." I think he said something else, too, but I was tuning it out. Why? Because when Fang turned around, he'd inched closer to Max. And Max's hand had begun to move. Holy freaky fajitas.

"Fang..." I trailed off. Nudge let out a squeak.

"MOVE!" I shouted at him. His face dawned with comprehension, or however you say it, and he leaped towards us. But he was too late. Max's hand was now latched around his calf, and he face-planted. In another circumstance, I would've laughed. But not now. We, well, me and Nudge, since Iggy's blind, watched in horror as his face paled, and contorted. Oh no .

"Crap. This is...crap," Iggy said helplessly. I nodded. Even Nudge was quiet. That's the second time I've mentioned her being quiet today. Yikes. Maybe we should go get her head checked? Knock. Knock. Knock. I jumped.

"The door!" I yelled, running toward it. Iggy and Nudge followed closely behind me. I opened the door, and saw two smiling faces. Ella and the reason Iggy is not with her yet: Shaw Akers. Well, I'm guessing, since they were holding hands. But maybe that's just me.

"Hi, guys! I want you to meet my boyfriend, Shaw Akers," Ella introduced. "Shaw, these are my friends, Iggy, Nudge and Gazzy." _And_ Gazzy? Why the heck was I last? But Iggy was first...that might mean she likes him more than me and Nudge...I can go all matchmaker on them! Last time I tried that, though, it didn't go so well...

"Where's the others?" Grammar, Ella. Tsk tsk. Wait. The others. Who were currently having long term seizures on the couch and floor.

"Ewak, hikkadu, fyre hil," I said quietly. Our secret code comes in handy sometimes. Nudge and Iggy raced off. Leaving me to distract them.

"Come in. I think Angel's already asleep, and Max and Fang are...who knows where doing who knows what." I stubbed my toe on the doorstep as I closed it. " _Ow_! Damn." And, just like that, I had a plan. It was a dumb plan, but it was still a plan, right? I lunged toward the wall, smashed against it, and collapsed on the floor. Oh my god, that was the dumbest thing I have _ever_ done in my life. Nothing can describe the _pain_ -

"Gazzy! Holy crap, are you okay?" Ella asked, crouching beside me. I groaned and grabbed my head.

"Ow. Ow. That was dumb. Ow. Really stupid," I moaned.

"Gazzy. Are you okay?" She asked again. She doesn't really look like Max, you know. Apart from the eyes.

"Are _you_ okay?" I asked. She looked confused.

"Of course I am. I'm asking about you-" I cut her off.

"I mean, don't you feel anything for Iggy? He likes you, you know," I said amiably. What was I doing? Oh, my god, I am gonna be killed. More than once! You heard it here first Diary! "And then you're just dating this guy in his face. Then you bring him around here, I mean, didn't you see his face?" It was the hit. I got a concussion. Major one. I wasn't thinking straight. Would Ella believe me? I clamped my hand over my mouth, refusing to say anything else.

"YIKLE FERMIT!" I shouted, before standing up. "Sorry," I apologized, before hightailing it to Iggy's room. I wasn't spending my time in my room, not after that. Knowing my karma, I'd probably end up being murdered.

Well. That was pleasant.

An hour or so later, I heard Iggy trudging up the stairs.

"Hiya," I said as he entered.

"So. I know what you said," he began, taking a seat beside me on the bed. I shifted nervously.

"How? Did your hearing get magically better?" I asked curiously. For us, it wasn't totally out of the question.

"No. Ella cornered me," he replied. I winced, yeesh, that must've been unpleasant. I was about to speak, but Iggy beat me to it.

"I'm pretty sure she's angry. I don't know why," he said slowly. "It's just confusing, you know? Well, I don't think you're having girl problems," he added bitterly. I jumped in.

"Au contraire! There's this one hot girl in my class..." I trailed off.

"No. You don't actually know what it feels like, do you? I appreciate the... _help_ , but I've got it under control. You go back to your hot fourteen year olds, and I'll go back to pranking everyone in senior year. Cool?" He said, not looking at me. I mean, not that he could, but he could at least look where he _thought_ my face was.

"Yeah, okay," I whispered, before heading back down the stairs.  
There's only three of us left. I probably messed up Iggy's chance with Ella. I have to spend the night in my horror movie murder room.

And all this happened the day I came back. Wow. Just shows how great of a person I am.

And if you didn't get the sarcasm there, Diary, I really will chuck you out.

 **I just realized. Total. I've forgotten Total again. And I can't just add him in. Ah well. Next entry. Which will be up in a few days. I hope.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Okay. Total makes an appearance in this one. It's all good.**

 **To Flowersocks (forgot the numbers on the end, sorry): Thanks! Shock horror: I actually** ** _am_** **a teenager.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone else who reviewed. It literally makes my days.**

 **Wow. I am really pathetic, huh?**

 **Eh. Enjoy!**

27/8/15

Dear Diary,

You read right. Nothing has happened for _two weeks_. No more attacks. Nobody waking up. Barely any interaction between me and the others. We'd sorta distanced ourselves from each other, I guess so we could forget about the others. Also, Iggy's been hanging out with David more. Meaning he's in _my house_. Welcome to my house, play that music too loud...heh, sorry. I've been listening to the radio again. But yeah, it's been quiet.

It's also my birthday.

Today. 28th of August. I'm officially thirteen. My friends think I'm turning fourteen. Half my flock are comatose. My life is complicated, yo. I totally just sounded gangster there. And...ruined it with my totally. I sat up, yawned, and pulled on some clean-ish clothes. I hadn't been tragically killed in the past weeks, so my karma obviously isn't running up to speed. I s'pose that's a good thing. I stepped out into the hallway. Empty. Nothing unusual. Somehow it felt...more peaceful. Quieter. Slightly darker, too. You may have noticed that I wrote 27 instead of 28 in the date. If you're as smart as I don't give you credit for, you may have already worked out why I did that. If not, read on.

I peeked into the lounge, shivering at the blanket mountain which hid Max, Fang and Angel. I walked straight past them, keeping my eyes on the kitchen. I hopped up onto a stool, and stared at the wall. The clock ticked in the background. I'm getting a sense of deja vu. I dunno why. But-

"You're up early," Total noted, trotting into the kitchen. My eyes narrowed. Where was he the past two weeks? Has he missed this whole thing?

"Another trip with Akila. Brigid wanted me to see where she used to live," he explained. I wasn't convinced.

"Okay. Wait, what do you mean 'you're up early'?" I asked. He sighed dramatically.

"It's eleven forty one. PM," he added. My jaw dropped. What? I'd only slept for two hours?

"Are you serious." I said exasperatedly.

"Very. I'm only awake because I was feeling a little peckish," Total answered. He must've been joking. Must've. It wasn't-

"RING, RING. RING, RING."

"You may want to answer that," Total observed. I gave him a no duh look, before reaching over the counter and grabbing the phone.

"If you're selling subscriptions, I don't want any part in it," I deadpanned. Total gave me a disapproving look.

"That is not any way to answer the phone-"

"I think you'll want a part of this subscription," said...KACI? What the heck? No, let me say this to her, not to myself.

" _Kaci_? What the _hell_ are doing calling me at," I glanced at the clock. " _Eleven fifty pm_?!" I exclaimed. Total shook his head.

"That's even worse than the first time."

"I don't care, Total. Kaci, you better have a good reason, or I will-"

"Okay, okay. I get it, you'll kill me. It's the moment we've been waiting for since the concert," she began slowly.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means, Gazzy, that Raelia is out." I sat there, staring blankly at the wall. Finally:

"What?" I heard her sigh.

"The sequel. To Akarnae," she clarified. I didn't reply. Just sat there.

"Holy crap, are you serious?"

"You're asking that an awful lot today," Total said dryly.

"Dead," Kaci replied.

"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD, IT'S OUT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! OH MY GOD!" I shouted.

"Yeah. So, get your ass down to the bookstore right now. We're buying it. Then reading it."

"Deal. I'll be there in ten," I agreed, before hanging up.

"See ya, Total. I'm going out," I told him. He raised his eyebrows. Well, it looked like he was. If he had eyebrows, they would be raised, is what I'm saying.

"You're going out? At midnight?" He questioned.

"Yeah, with Kaci. You know her, right?"

"I may have seen her once. Wait, her. Are you going on a date?" I felt my face burn up.

"NO! It's not a date, Total, we're...going shopping..." I trailed off. That sounded _so_ bad. So bad.

"Okay. See you when you get back," he said. I raced back to my room, tugged on some converse, and pulled a beanie over my head. As I got to the door, I snagged my puffer jacket, and pushed open the door. After I closed it, I took a few steps forward, then stopped. Shook my shoulders. And let my wings unfurl. I liked my wings. They were simple. And big. Bigger than Max's. So about fifteen, sixteen feet across. They were light brown, and I don't know how else to describe them, so yeah. I leaped up, snapped my wings downwards, and rose steadily into the air. Flying is probably the most awesome thing I've ever experienced. Not even blowing things up comes anywhere close. I soared upwards, and looked down at Arizona. Yeah, I was that high. The wind was pretty strong, though. So strong, in fact, that it whipped my beanie right off my head.

"Oh come _on_!" I yelled, diving after it. I scooped it up, and shoved it in my pocket. I ain't putting that thing on again. While I flew towards the mall, you know what I thought about! The name of this diary. Well, you, technically. You get my point. It's the Diary of My Imminent Doom. Also known as DOMID. What kind of acronym is DOMID? It should be something cool, like...I dunno, DEATH or DOOM or DODGE or DAFFY or something, you know? Like...Diary of Documented Gasman Explosions. Um, no. Nevermind. One I was thinking of was Diary...My...Explosive Downfall. So it spells DAMNED. But what about the A and N? According to? Nuclear? This is where I'm lost. I spotted my destination, and landed with a thud behind the building. I put my beanie back on, and walked casually around the corner.

"You're late!" Kaci shouted when she saw me. What? It took me, what, less than ten minutes to get there!

"I said less than ten minutes!" I insisted.

"Try twenty," she held out her watch. 12.15. Damn.

"My beanie blew away," I told her.

"Sure." But it did!

"So, this book?" I questioned. She nodded, holding up her hands.

"I was pretty sure you'd be late, so I bought them anyway," she explained. I took the book, and examined it.

"Cool. How much do I owe you? Twenty? I'll bring it to school tomorrow. See ya," I said, turning around. Kaci grabbed my arm.

"You don't owe me anything. Consider it a gift."

"Huh? What? Why?" I asked dumbly. I shouldn't have. It's a free book, man, just take it! She grinned.

"You really don't know?" Yes, that's why I _asked_. I thought it was obvious.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"See you tomorrow, Gaz. Happy birthday," she said before walking off into the shadows. Wow, badass exit. Oh, crap. There we go with the badass thing again. I wonder what'll explode this time. Wait, birthday? It was past midnight. Which meant...oh my god, it was! Woah! And now I'm gonna go home, read Raelia, then sleep the whole day while contemplating my woeful, tragic life story.

I stepped back behind the building, and zoomed off towards the house. I really can't be bothered describing it, but I won't. When I got back, Total was there, waiting in the hallway like a creepy watch dog. I always thought it would be cool to have one, but now I do...nope. just, nope.

"How was your date? What are you holding?" Total asked, walking around my feet. Some people found that cute, but me? No. And at half past twelve in the morning? Double nope.

"It wasn't a date, and it's a book. Which I am going to read. In my room. Alone," I added, in case he didn't get the memo.

"A book? You're reading? Willingly?" He checked. I threw up my hands.

"Yes! Goodnight," I said, walking off.

"Technically, it's good morning," Total called. I resisted the urge to flip him off. I closed the door behind me, and dropped onto the bed, opening the book. Okay. Let's do this thing.

Seven hours later, I was exhausted. I'd stayed up all night reading, and finishing the book. Only to be _completely annoyed_ by it. I nearly _cried_ at the ending. I felt the wetness in my eyes, believe me. Dumb book. And don't even get me started on the pairings...of course, it was still an awesome book. I loved it. But that said, when the remaining flock plus Total came knocking at my door to wish me a happy birthday, they found me dead asleep, clutching the book. I slept until, like, five, before I got up. I stretched, stood up, and looked at myself in the mirror.

"I'm thirteen. I am thirteen," I repeated, awestruck. It was really underwhelming. I thought there would be some, I dunno, big change or whatever. But no. Woah, I'd spent a third of my thirteenth birthday reading a book. That must be some kind of record. I shook my head, and walked into the kitchen.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAZZY!" Nudge shrieked, running towards me and wrapping me in a hug.

"Um. Thanks?" I said uncertainty. Nudge rolled her eyes.

"Just because there's only three of us doesn't mean we have to be depressed on your birthday," she said reasonably.

"Well, okay. Is there cake?" I asked. Iggy grinned.

"Well, we did _try_ to bake one, but Nudge gave me the wrong ingredients. Let's just say that baking soda and icing do _not_ mix well," he paused, realizing the pun. "Hey, that was pretty good."

"Sure, Iggy. Anyway, we should probably go buy one. Dr M gave us enough money for it," Nudge put in. I nodded.

"Let's go get this cake, then!"

Fifteen minutes later, we were walking down the isles of the local supermarket.

"So, uh, Iggy? What type of flour do we get?" Nudge asked.

"I'm not making another cake. Y'all can buy one," Iggy said.

"This makes things so much easier. Why did you not just say that BEFORE we spent ten minutes looking at flour?" I groaned. Iggy smirked.

"Because it was pretty funny..." Iggy trailed off, probably sensing our moods.

"Where the heck do you buy cakes from in a supermarket?" We stood in silence for a while, thinking about it. Then I had an idea.

"Wait! The bakery section! I saw a cake!" I exclaimed, raising my hands in triumph. The other shoppers gave me weird looks. I slowly put my hands down. You don't have to hate. We headed over to the bakery section, and saw the cake stand immediately. But...there was only one cake left. Nudge burst out laughing.

"What? What am I missing out on?" Iggy asked irritably. Nudge whispered something in his ear, and he started laughing. I gave them both a sour look.

"Looks like there's no other cakes," Nudge began.

"So we're gonna have to buy that one," Iggy continued.

"Meaning you're gonna have a Dora the Explorer cake!" They finished, cracking up. I glanced at the cake in horror. Why me? Why must I have a Dora the Explorer cake? Why not three years ago when I was obsessed with it? True story. I heard Nudge suck in a breath.

"Oh my gosh," she uttered. I loooed at Iggy, before turning to her.

"Um. You alright?" I asked cautiously. Nudge wordlessly pulled out her iPhone, and held it out to me. It had a picture of a guy on it. I rolled my eyes.

"Nudge, we're trying to buy a cake. Not looking at photos of guys." She shook her head, and pointed behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw the guy in the photo, talking earnestly to the baker person. I shrugged, turning back to Nudge.

"So?" Her mouth dropped open.

"Gazzy...that's Josh Green. The celebrity?" She added at my clueless look. Ah. But then, get this, he started walking towards us. Us. Three mutants with freaky powers. He smiled.

"Hey, guys. Mind if I get through to that cabinet?" He asked. I nodded soundlessly. Nudge held out a pen and paper.

"Can you sign? I mean, could I please have your autograph?" I grinned. He took it.

"There ya go. I've gotta get going, todays my cousins birthday," he said, before taking the Dora the Explorer cake and walking off. I stared at him.

"OMG! I can't believe it! I have his autograph!" Nudge squealed. Iggy grimaced, probably thinking the same thing I was.

"Yeah, great. But what about the cake?" Nudge shut up. We flew home in silence, and didn't mention the cake again.

So that was my birthday.

And how the last cake was taken by Josh Green.

Life really screws you over sometimes, huh?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

 **Heya! I have a few things to say.**

 **1\. Flowersocks, you do** ** _not_** **want my brain. Trust me.**

 **2\. Yeah, Josh is an actual celebrity. I watched the Road Chip, and was like, hey, let's use him!**

 **3\. I** ** _love_** **fast reviews and long reviews. They're the best. They make me feel loved (aww)**

 **4\. Everyone keeps commenting on the plot line. I have no idea what the plotline is, I'm just making up random stuff.**

 **5\. I'm going away for a week, so I won't be updating til I'm back. Sorry.**

 **So here's this weeks entry! Enjoy!**

1/9/15

Dear Diary,

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month!

Really, though, there's an actual reason I'm writing in this today. We'll get to that later. Today was a bad day. Here's why.

"Hey, Gazzy? How do you turn on the waffle maker?" Iggy yelled from the kitchen. That was strike one.

"Ig, you do it every day. You plug in this, and turn the switch. Got it?" I walked over and did it for him, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Yeah, thanks." Okayyyy. That was weird. Very weird.

"Ugh. I barely slept last night. I'm starved," Nudge walked in, yawning. "Where's the milk? I'm thirsty."

Okay. Since when does Nudge like milk? That was strike two. This is getting seriously weird.

"Uh, in the fridge. Like it always is," I said uncertainly. What was up with them?

"Okay, I'm getting seriously freaked out. What's going on?" I hoped to every deity that they hadn't been replaced by Stalker Guy's minions and I'd just given away my advantage. Oh, crap. Suddenly, though, their grins widened. That was probably strike three.

"Um. Guys?" I asked anxiously, backing up toward the wall. Nudge leaped forward and nearly crushed me in a hug. Death by hug? Is that Stalker Guys way of killing me? If so, I gotta say, that dude is _creative_ -

"THEY'RE AWAKE, GAZZY!" Nudge screamed. I briefly covered my ears, wincing, before I processed what she'd said.

"Wait. They are?" I clarified. She nodded. I sprinted back into the living room. How had I missed it? Sure enough, Angel, Max and Fang were sitting up, rubbing their eyes.

"You guys!" I yelled, running forward to tackle them back to the floor. One squeaked, one made an 'oomph' sound, and the other said "woah."

"Gaz, jeez! We're alive! It's okay!" Max protested as I hugged them all. I gave her a level look.

"So the whole covered in blood, comatose, pale thing was all just an elaborate hoax, then?" I asked pointedly.

"Well, no-"

"Then what's your point?" She feigned a scowl, but dropped it.

"It was so, so scary," Angel whimpered. I looked at her in concern. No wonder she'd been so quiet.

"What happened, Ange?" I reached towards her, but she flinched. I drew my hand back.

"Get away from me. You-you...I'm sorry," Angel got up and ran full speed out of the room. I heard faint thudding from the stairs. She must be going to her room. A slamming door confirmed it. I exchanged a glance with Max and Fang.

"Did you guys... _see_ anything while you were in a coma?" I asked. They both shook their heads.

"Nope. It was like I was asleep. There was this one image that kept popping up, though. This guy with dark hair and golden eyes..." Max trailed off. Oh, man. Not dumb Stalker Guy. I looked at Fang, and I could see he knew. Max glanced between us.

"Oh crap, is this the guy you saw at the mall?" I nodded. Max rubbed her face.

"This is bad."

"What's bad?" Iggy and Nudge asked. But were they alone? No. Ross and Jason were with them. Crap, crap, crap.

"Where'd you two come from?" I asked warily.

"My moms off on one of her mood swings, so I thought I'd come here and drag Jase with me," Ross said reasonably.

"Okay. You have the worst timing, but okay. What do you wanna do?" I asked.

"Well, the new skateboard ramp opened up a few days ago, so it'll be pretty empty by now..." Ross began.

"And Kaci's already there, so you wanna come? Please?" Jason pleaded. I rubbed my face.

"Okay. I'll come." The boys fist pumped, and Ross did a weird dance routine thing.

"Great! Come on!" I followed them out of the lounge, and snagged my board from my room on the way.

It took us five minutes to get there. I spotted Kaci with a bunch of girls sitting on the top of the ramps. She jumped up when she saw us and headed over.

"Ready to get beaten?" She grinned. I held up a hand.

"Please. You could never beat me. I'm a pro," I bragged. Kaci's eyes narrowed.

"You wanna beat? Five bucks says I'll beat you," she stuck out her hand. I shook it.

"Deal." We headed to the top of the ramp. Kaci was taking her time climbing up.

"Patience is a virtue, you know," she retorted after I'd yelled at her to hurry up for the sixth time. I grinned wide.

"I've got too many virtues already. I don't think my personality could handle any more," I boasted, smirking down at her. She pulled herself up, and brushed herself off.

"Quoting Akarnae at me isn't going to make me go any faster," she paused. "Though good job."

"Thanks. How we gonna do this?" I asked her.

"Just do your best. Those two are judging," she jerked a thumb at Ross and Jason.

"Oh boy. See you," I said all badass-ly, before dropping over the edge. I flipped the board and did a ninja kick before speeding down the half-pipe. Hey, you gotta make it original. I zoomed into the air on the other side, and did this complicated twisty somersault leaping thing. I really can't explain it better than that.

I love skateboarding, Diary, because it feels like you're flying. It's one of the closest things I've done which feels like flying, though Max says motorbikes come close. I really wanna try a motorbike.

"That's all you got?" Kaci snickered.

"You can do better?" I retorted.

"You're right. I can," she replied, before throwing her board up into the air. What the _heck_ wa- woah. Holy moly. I watched in awe (envy) as Kaci leaped up, and placed her feet on the board. Skills! She spun, and landed solidly on the ramp. She shot to the other side (on one foot! Who the hell has good enough balance for _one foot_?!), and flipped over, before returning to her place beside me. She casually kicked up her board, and held out her hand.

"Five bucks," she said triumphantly. I shrugged.

"Got no money. Well, there's this," I held up an eftpos card. Kaci looked peeved (I learnt that from Nudge after I interrupted a Twilight worshipping session. Ugh).

"Then buy me something from the dairy that's worth five bucks."

"Ugh. Fine, whatever. Later," I added.

"Sure."

"Woah, Kace! That was awesome!" Ross exclaimed, ambling over. Who invented the word ambling, anyway? It's a weird word. It doesn't make sense. I shot him a look.

"Oh, uh, you were cool too, Gaz. Great," he added, cowering under my gaze. Ha, fear me, mortal! Oh wow, I just sounded totally like Hades. What if I turn into him, and get god powers? Now _that_ would be cool-

"Yo, it's Grant! And Spittal! Red alert, red alert, abort mission!" Jason whisper-yelled conspicuously. I looked over to where he was gesturing.

"We're not on a mission, J. And what d'you wanna do about it?" Kaci asked, placing a hand on her hip. All she needed was that Z formation thing, and then she'd be all sass queen...why the heck do I even listen to Nudge anymore?

"I dunno! Show them that they suck!" Ross put in.

"Where's Courtney? Doesn't she normally stick to them like glue?" I asked. Ross shook his head.

"Nah, man. Adrian and Peyton can't get enough time away from her." Jason hissed at that.

"Grant and Spittal, man, Grant and Spittal. Not...eugh," Jason shivered in disgust. Peyton, sadly, spotted us and flashed a jaunty wave.

"Hey, guys! Fancy seeing you here!" He exclaimed exaggeratedly.

"Yeah, great," I muttered. Ross whispered for our attention.

"We drop over on three, okay? Kaci, you do your cool throwing the board thing, okay? Three," he began counting.

"What was that, Gasman? I didn't quite catch it," Peyton cupped his ear.

"One, Gazzy! Go, go, go!" Ross yelled, dropping over the side. Jason followed suit, and I hurried to follow them, and nearly _fell off my damn board_. I was bent over backwards, but coolly regained my footing. Awesome! That was so _cool_ , Diary! You should've _seen_ it. Then, of course, Kaci had to ruin it by doing her cool move. Adrian and Peyton looked on in amazement as she nailed it. Except, she didn't nail it. She missed by one foot, slipped backwards, hit her head on the corner, and tumbled to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. I could hear Adrian snickering, but no noises from Peyton. Oddly enough, he actually looked _concerned_. I jumped off my board, and skidded down the half-pipe.

"Hey, Kaci! Are you okay?" I asked, jogging over.

"Yo, snap out of it! You're okay!" Ross snapped, kneeling beside her. I copied him. She opened one eye, and it fixed somewhere to the left of my face.

"You still owe me," she muttered, closing her eye again. I chuckled nervously.

"Really, Kace. Jokes over. Get your ass back up there," Ross said. I glanced at him, and tilted my head. He was _really_ pissed. And also really concerned. I looked up.

"Hey, if there's any deity up there, you wouldn't let the..." I actually had to stop and count. Angel. Max. Fang. " _Fourth_ of the _nine_ people I really care about get hurt. That's just douche-y." Ross cursed under his breath.

"Screw deities. They didn't stop my dad from leaving, or my brother from dying. Or me nearly committing suicide," he said harshly. Ah. That was why. A lot of people he loved had been killed or left. That must be hard.

"Hey, um, guys? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Jason asked anxiously. I looked back down. Oh crap. Apart from the owing comment, she hadn't opened her eyes or stirred.

"Is she okay?" Peyton asked, coming over. Adrian trailed behind him, a sneer still on his face. He found this _funny_. Well he can go shove his amusement. Ross apparently didn't feel the same way.

"She's fine," he snapped to Peyton. Then to Adrian: "You think this is funny, don't you? Someone getting hurt? That's because you've never had to work for anything, never lost anyone, in your entire life. So you can either call an ambulance, or get the hell away from us." He took a step towards him, fists clenching. Shite. I'd never seen him _this_ angry before. His blue-green eyes were narrowed, and his spiky hair made him look seriously scary. Adrian raised his eyebrows.

"Fine. I'm gonna get some popcorn. Want some?" He asked tauntingly.

"Adrian," I began.

"Run," Jason continued.

"Right now," I said.

"Before you're shark bait," Jason finished. Adrian smirked at Ross.

"Defending your girlfriend, Taylor? That's rich," he snickered.

"Say that again, Spittal," Ross said quietly. I'm nearly wetting myself, and I'm not even Adrian! Jeepers, I've got a scary friend. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. I turned to Peyton.

"Call the ambulance. It won't just be Kaci who'll need it," I murmured. He nodded, and typed something into his phone. Good. He's a verbal bully, sure, but he doesn't like people getting hurt. That's why Adrian ran the show. I focused my attention back to Ross and Adrian.

"Gladly. You're defending your girlfriend? That's-" If you blinked, you would've missed the punch. That's how fast it was. I'm pretty sure Adrian did blink, though, since it smashed him right in the face. His hand shoot up to his nose, which was now gushing blood, and his gaze turned dark. He swung back, aiming for Ross' sternum (figured out what that meant in health class. First thing I've learnt in that dumb class), and connected. I was tempted to break it up, but Ross would probably kill me. I felt Kaci stir, and my gaze flashed down. Is that a thing? My gaze flashed down? I dunno. I don't really care to, either.

"Wa's hap'nin'?" She asked drowsily. I pointed to the fight. Which looked pretty evenly matched. Maybe a little on Adrian's side. Huh. Maybe he really _was_ an athlete. She shifted her head to the side, and sighed.

"Boys, hon'stly. Do I hav' t' do ev'rythin'?" She grumbled. Sorry if I'm not using the ' things properly Diary, but give me a break, I'm thirteen. I watched in horror as she tried to stand up.

"No, no, Kaci-that's a bad idea," I said weakly. She ignored me, and hobbled (like ambled. Who the hell invented it?) over to the two fighters.

"Hey, stop, Ross, he's not werf i'," she said, getting between them. Ross froze mid-punch. Adrian froze mid-flinch. Ha, wimp.

"H't me, or nut'in," she insisted. Ross' face blanched, and he took a step back.

"Kaci, how are you..." he trailed off in confusion. But I was watching Adrian. I saw him step around Kaci as she talked to Ross, and started running. I felt footsteps beside me. I leaped, and tackled Adrian to the ground.

"Leave my friends the hell alone. Understand?" I growled. He nodded stiffly. Then I got off him, brushed off my shorts, and turned to the others.

"Well. There's the ambulance. Let's get you two on it," I gestured to Kaci, and Ross' multiple bruises, black eye, and bleeding nose. I heard Peyton talking quietly to Adrian. He nodded at me. I nodded back. Huh.

I watched the sun setting over the hills, my head in my hands. Jason and Ross sat beside me. A little bit before we got Kaci on the ambulance, she'd passed out. I knew it wasn't fatal or anything, but still. It's scary when someone close to you gets hurt.

"Today was...eventful," Jason said carefully. Ross nodded, staring at nothing.

"At least it wasn't boring," I put in.

"Yeah," Ross mumbled faintly. Jason shoved him, and he snapped out of it.

"Dude, what's got you so depressed?" He asked. I leaned in a little.

"It's nothing. I just hate seeing people get hurt."

"Well, that's true. But really, man. We won't judge you," Jason smiled, opening his arms. I snorted. He sent me a meaningful look. I covered it with a cough, then matched him. Ross looked between us.

"You two look fricking creepy, you know that?" He said, but he smiled a little.

"We know," Jason and I said in sync. Woah, now _that_ was creepy.

"Okay, that was creepy," I said. The others nodded.

"It just reminds me of...my brother. And my dad. I just don't want anyone else leaving. I only have three, like, close friends," Ross explained, sighing.

"Well, I'm really concerned about you not laughing in ages, and I'm seriously considering checking you into this place," I deadpanned. He grinned.

"Yeah, well, stuff does that to you." We lapsed back into silence.

"You three here for Kaci Waller?" A doctor asked. We, in sync again, all turned to face him, and nodded.

"She's awake. You can go see her." We filed down the hall silently. We waited patiently while he opened the door. Jeez. What the heck was happening to us? Because it's freaking me out.

"Hey guys," Kaci waved, flashing a smile. We scurried over to her.

"Why did you fail the trick?"

"Are you okay?"

"You made us look bad in front of Spittal and Grant!" That describes us three in perfect detail. Kaci gave Ross and I sour looks.

"Thank you _Jason_ , I _am_ okay. I didn't fail it on _purpose_ , Gazzy, and you made Adrian look just as bad, Ross. I saw the new face job you gave him. He looks great," she gave him a wry thumbs up. He grinned.

"I did, didn't I?"

"But you also look like crap," she added. His eyes rolled.

"Well, at least you're truthful," he said, touching his bruises tenderly.

"Aaaand they're at it again," Jason commented.

"Yeah. At least it's back to normal, now," I replied.

"Normal. Yeah."

But somehow, I felt as if everything was exactly _opposite_.

People at home were acting weird. The others woke up. My fellow freshmen were at war. Stalker Guy was being a creeper, and is probably responsible for all the previous things, except for the freshmen war thing. That would be _weird_. Plus, David was still David. I do not like that guy.

Anyway. I felt the opposite.

And usually, my feelings are right. Well, sometimes, it really depends on the situations.

But for the dramatic endings sake, I'm gonna say they're right.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

 **So. Sorry for the wait. But we find out some stuff in this chapter!**

 **And I keep forgetting Total.**

 **I've got nothing else to say, so...**

 **Enjoy!**

7/9/15

Dear Diary,

Today, I was annoyed. Here's why:

I was walking down the school hallway, as you do, and then I saw reason numero uno why I was annoyed. Nudge. Plus Adrian. Talking. To _each other_. Why, life? What have I ever done? I mean, apart from all the bombs and farting. But still! Nudge started laughing. Oh, dear. I couldn't watch this. I turned and headed into science. Nevaeh looked up from our table.

"You seen a ghost? Those voices starting up again?" She asked. I scowled and sat down. She raised an eyebrow. "No comment, huh? And y'all call me rude."

"Adrian was talking to my sister," I shuddered. She gave me a...was that _sympathetic_? She gave me an almost sympathetic look. Wow. Life can change, oh so fast.

"Yeesh. Your sister must have no standards." _Annnnnnd_ she's back. I opened my mouth, but Adrian sat down before I could say anything.

"Sorry, Vae Vae. Can't do the weekend anymore. I'm going over to a _friends_ house," he winked. I slapped my palms on the table.

"First you terrorize my friends, and now my sister-" Adrian threw up his hands.

"Woah, your _sister_? You look _nothing_ alike." I remembered the cover story. Ah, crap. I hesitated.

"Well, not my actual sister, but we're staying with her and her actual brother, so it feels like she's my sister," I explained hurriedly. He have me a strange look.

"Crap, that means you'll be there? Damn," he groaned. Kaci plopped onto the seat beside me. She glared at Adrian.

"Nice hat," he smirked, looking at the bandage wrapped around her head.

"Nice eye. I'd recommend a new nose job, though," she shot back, nodding to his deformed face. Nevaeh looked up.

"Holy hell, you look like crap," she said bluntly. Kaci and I grinned.

"That's Ross for you. He's great at makeovers," Kaci put in. Nevaeh's eyebrows shot up.

"Man, TAYLOR did that? I needa give him more credit," she mused.

"I'm sure he'd love that," Kaci smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing."

Well, Diary, I just felt the need to explain that, so now onto the _real_ reason I'm writing.

Saturday.

Most kids would be happy. Relieved.

Me? I'm currently miserable, lonely, and annoyed.

See, the whole flock decided to invite people over.

Angel...actually didn't have anyone, because she barely came out of her room anymore.

Nudge had the little idiot Adrian. And Courtney had tagged along too! Fun! But there were a bunch of other people, too, so it wasn't as bad.

Iggy, the asshole, invited David over. Plus the African guy with the weird (but cool!) hair from the concert. Turns out his name was Richard.

Fang was talking to a pretty red haired girl. She sorta scared me, though, cause she had a scar on one side of her side.

And Max was with another group of about three others. I think two of them were actually Nudge's friends.

And I had Ross, Kaci and Jason.

We were huddled around my bed.

"Yeesh, Gaz. Your rooms freaking scary," Ross observed, taking in my miniature horror movie murder room.

"I know. I never open the windows for fear of being mauled," I replied.

"Well, at least there's a reason if you spontaneously die," Jason mused. The rest of us shot him weird looks. "What? It's true." No arguing there, I guess. Unfortunately, Nudge interrupted us about half an hour later.

"Hey! Do you wanna play truth or dare?" She asked. I hesitated.

"Uh, not _really_ -"

"It's computer generated! No inappropriate stuff," she added.

"Whose idea was it?" I asked, planning on how I could kill them.

"Oh, Adrian's." Our eyebrows shot up.

"You got _Adrian_ to agree to a _non inappropriate_ truth or dare?" Kaci checked. Nudge nodded. "Dear lord."

"Well, we're starting soon, so come out if you wanna play." Nudge left the room.

"So. Truth or dare. You guys in?" I asked.

"Course we are. Anything to get out of your creepy room," Jason shivered.

"Hey!" I protested. "It's not... _that_ creepy!" They stared at me. "Okay, fine." Everyone was already seated in the living room. I took a seat beside Max.

"You agreed to this?" I whispered. She shook her head.

"I'm off chores for today and tomorrow," she replied, grinning.

"Damn! Why didn't I think of that?"

"You still have much to learn, young grasshopper," she answered mysteriously.

"My name's Gasman, not grasshopper," I huffed. Nudge stepped into the circle.

"Okay, guys! Who wants to start?" No one raised their hand. "Okay...I'll start then. Um...Iggy! Truth or dare?" Iggy groaned.

"No chores. No chores," he grumbled. My eyes popped.

"Am I the _only_ one who didn't think of that?" I exclaimed. Nudge gave me a sour look.

"Dare," Iggy said. Nudge pressed a button on the laptop.

"Uh...peel a banana using your feet."

"I can't even see my feet!" Iggy protested.

"Well, now you can. Here's your banana." Nudge handed it to him. He placed it between his toes, and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"Hey! Hey, I got this... _damn it_!" He shouted. He'd nearly finished peeling it when the whole thing fell out of the skin. I cracked up, along with mostly everyone else. Iggy held up the banana.

"Anyone?" He offered.

"Okay. Iggy, you next." He glanced around the circle as if he could actually see us. His eyes landed on...David. "David. Truth or dare?"

Now, Diary, my one question is: how the _heck_ did he know where he was?

"Dare," He replied.

"Nudge, generator!" He sung. Weirdo. I do not take after him. Forget what I said about him being my idol.

"Okay. Touch your tongue to your nose, and if you can't touch your tongue to another persons nose. Go ahead." David smirked, before touching his nose to my tongue.

"How the heck did you do that?"

"I have my ways. Gasman, truth or dare?" Oh, you're kidding!

"Dare," I replied. Nudge tsked.

"Proclaim your undying devotion to the next person who walks into the room. I guess we keep playing til that happens," he announced. I shrugged.

"Sure. Um...Richard, you seem nice! Truth or dare?" I grinned at him evilly.

"Dare," he said. Nudge rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, people! Choose truth once in a while, too!" She clicked the generator. But before she could share, guess who walked in? Max tried to stifle her snickers. When everyone else noticed, they did too.

"Hi, Fang," Nudge said pointedly, looking at me. I got up, and whispered to Max. "Please say you don't want me doing this?"

"Nope. He's all yours," she smirked. I sighed, and started walking over to Fang. Then I knelt at his feet.

"Oh, Fang. I have been holding it in for a while now"-"

"What? Diarrhea?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, Fang. That's what my love for you and diarrhea have in common. I love you, Fang! I didn't tell you since you're with Max, but its too hard to remain unnoticed! I don't care! You're my one true love!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around him. I heard everyone snickering in the background. And then I saw it. A dark haired, golden eyed dude, standing outside in the open doorway. I tensed. Fang pushed me away from him, and saw my expression. He raised an eyebrow. I wordlessly pointed to the kitchen. He nodded and walked off.

"Uh, everyone that lives here? Kitchen. Asap." I turned, and headed after Fang. Max, Nudge and Iggy came in.

"Uh, Gazzy? What's up?" Max asked cautiously.

"Guess who decided to crash the party?" I said jovially.

"Mr Whippy?" Iggy suggested. I glared.

"Stalker Dude." They gave me blank stares. Ugh, really?

"The evil guy who pushed me off a roof."

"Ah."

"Oh, him."

"Right." Idiots.

"So? What do we do?" I asked Max.

"Uh. Why don't we just see what he wants, and let him do whatever?" She said. Fang shrugged.

"Let's do that. Play some more truth or dare. Relax. Good? Yeah? Great." Iggy walked back into the lounge.

"Yeah. Great."

Three hours later, I was sipping hot chocolate and shoving a burger in my face. I was pretty sure everyone had cleared off, apart from David, Kaci, Lilly (the red head Fang was talking to) and Richard. Which I thought was weird, but there you go.

"Okay. So, you wanted to tell us something, right?" Max asked David. He nodded.

"Yeah. All four of us." My disturbed-ness went up when he gestured to Kaci. I raised my eyebrows at her. She simply shook her head.

"These burgers are great, by the way," Richard added to Iggy. Then he turned to the rest of us.

"Okay. So, you may know of a guy with dark hair, gold eyes, right?" We stood up, staring at him.

"How the _hell_ do you know _that_?" Max demanded.

"Sit down, guys. Rick, you gotta start off _way_ better than that," Kaci said, shaking her head. She looked up at the rest of us. "Okay. You'll probably believe us better if I get this outta the way. So:" She stood up, knocking her chair back. She shrugged off her jacket, and rolled her shoulders.

Holy crap. Just...holy crap.

Kaci has wings.

And she knows David.

Which means he probably has wings too.

There is only one thing I can say to this.

ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"So you three have wings too?" I asked, gesturing to Kaci's white ones.

"Oh, no, shrimpo. See, Richard here is part rhino, gorilla, something like that-"

"Cooler than you," Richard interrupted. I grinned. I think I'm gonna like this guy.

"-bad word choice. Lilly here took after a wolf, and she' s wicked strong and fast. Kaci has wings, and me, well, you weren't kidding when you said I was like Jack Frost," David explained. Iggy's jaw dropped.

"So you can do ice stuff? And fly? Dude, you've been holding out on me!" He exclaimed.

"Great. What does this have to do with us?" I droned. Everyone's eyes snapped to me. Hey! I'm tired.

"Its like you with Itex. We want whatever he works for to be destroyed," Richard added. Hmm. Another Itex? I really do _not_ want to have to save the world again. And then have it blow up anyway.

"So, we came to ..." David trailed off, wincing. Kaci rolled her eyes.

"We're asking for your help," she said.

"Yep. Cool. With what? Tying your shoes? Going to the bathroom?" I asked. I get it, it was snarky, but I _really_ didn't like David, okay?

"Tracking him down. What say you?" Kaci glanced at Max.

"We'll help. But we're sticking to our lie low, watch plan. Capiche?" I liked Max for this reason. She's not just going to trust these guys. Even though Kaci's my friend and all, just because she trusts these three doesn't mean I do.

"Cool. Whatever. I'm gonna go sleep in my creepy as heck room. Later, Kaci," I said, before trudging out of the room. I was tired. And I didn't see the shape outside my door. That was dumb. As soon as I hit the bed, my door slammed shut. I jumped.

"Why the-holy hell, its you! What do you want?" I asked Stalker Guy. He keeps showing up everywhere, really. First in a bathroom, then on a roof (both places where horror movie scenes tend to happen! Like that weirdo movie Crush. That girl needs to control her jealously, man), and now in my _specifically_ named, _horror movie murder room_. Oh, crap, my life is over. I'm gonna die. This is the end. Hold your breath and count to ten...okay, Gaz. This is not the time for song references.

"Only to say hi, Gasman."

"Did you come to kill me? Cause if so, could you get it over with?" I asked irritably. He raised an eyebrow.

"Save that for Bria. She'll actually bother with a comeback. I just came to tell you that you should listen to your instincts first. That's all. No killing. Though, this room would suit it," He said thoughtfully. Everyone notices the room, huh?

"Then could you kindly leave so I can get some sleep? Unless you want to watch me," I added charitably.

"No, no, that's quite fine. I'll see you in the clouds, Gasman." What the hell? See you in the clouds? That sounds like some dumb line from a cheesy romance novel where the guy leaves the girl for 'important, necessary things'. Stalker Dude didn't _like_ me, did he? God, that would be _disturbing-_

Anyway. He walked out of my room. Through the door. And nobody noticed. Ahh, the perks of living with a bunch of idiots.

Right then, three things occurred to me.

One, Fang didn't say whether he loved me back or not. I mean, come on, man, you don't just leave someone hanging like that.

Two. David dared me to tell Fang I loved him. And I hugged Fang because of that. And I saw Stalker Guy because of that. So that means...David potentially saved my life. Damn it!

And third? I still didn't get Stalker Guys name.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

 **It's short. I haven't updated in ages. Feel free to hate me.**

 **But here it is: the long awaited chapter ten!**

 **In my defence, I've had a crap load of injuries this past week.**

 **So, on that happy note, enjoy!**

11/9/15

Dear Diary,

School on Monday was _awkward_.

See, I hadn't really spoken to Kaci since Saturday night, and the rest of the flock (except Angel. I think she's experiencing early teenage mood swings) had been jumpy since. We sorta avoided the other mutants. But Iggy _still_ talked to David! Hmph.

Anyway, since I was sort of avoiding Kaci, that meant not really talking to her in science. So I let her talk to Adrian, and talked to... _Nevaeh_. Yes, I know. Let's give you a peek of what that turned out like:

"Hiya," I greeted, sitting down beside her. She glanced up.

"You're not Adrian," she noted. I waited.

"You're sitting next to me willingly."

"What the hell happened with you and Kaci?"

"Why do you think that?" I asked innocently. She snorted.

"Pul-lease, Griffiths. You'd be sitting next to her if something hadn't." Wow. She was smarter than what I have her credit for.

"Well. Yeah, something happened. So. How was your weekend?" I asked pleasantly.

"It was decent. What about yours?" She asked warily.

"It was terrible. Adrian and David were at my house," I huffed. She snickered.

"David, huh? What'd he do to you?"

"Absolutely nothing," I replied.

"Right. Yeah, he's a bit of an asshole," she agreed. Wait, she _agreed with something I'm saying_. What the heck is happening?

"You're agreeing with me. Is it the apocalypse or something? Didn't that already happen?" I checked. Her eyes rolled.

"Don't make me take it back. But he...I just don't like him," she said finally. The door opened. I twisted my head, and saw Kaci walk in. Nevaeh turned too.

"If you fight, stay away from me," she muttered. I scowled at her. Kaci sat down opposite me and raised her eyebrows.

"Hi Gazzy," she said exaggeratedly.

"Hi Kaci," I replied, waving.

"Did you find out his name?" She asked cryptically.

"He came to talk to me Saturday night. And no, I didn't ask," I returned. Her eyes narrowed.

"And what did he say?" I shrugged.

"To trust my instincts. And he'll see me in the clouds."

"What the _hell_ are you two on about?" Nevaeh cut in. I didn't drop my gaze.

"What I told you about before," I answered.

"Ah, yes. Plotting a new code, huh? Fun," she said dryly.

"Ha-Gazzy," Kaci hissed, dropping the whole façade thingy.

"Yeah?" She stood up, grabbed my arm, and started yanking me out of the room. "What-?" I didn't finish my question before Kaci slammed the door behind us, and dragged me into the nearest bathroom.

"Hey! I don't wanna be in here! It's the _girls_ bathroom, if you haven't noticed," I protested, looking around. When I saw the mirror, my jaw dropped.

"Holy hell, why is there _another me_ standing behind you?"

"You know I'm a mutant. I can sense peoples powers, sort of. And when I saw _that_ -" She pointed at the other me. "I was pretty sure you just got a new one."

"So...I can make other versions of me? Cool!" I exclaimed, grinning. "Imagine: getting out of class...uh, I got nothing else. But it sounds cool."

"Listen, Gazzy. Normally when one of you gets another power, you can control it right away, right?" I opened my mouth to ask how she knew that. "It's the same with us. But since I'm guessing you're not controlling it right now...I think that your stalker may be controlling _you_." I frowned.

"Why would he do that?"

"Gaz, I think he used you to do what he did to Angel. And Max and Fang, too."

"But...that's impossible. I wasn't even there when that happened!" I argued. She gave me a sympathetic look.

"I know."

"Hold on. You're saying that...I have this new power, and that he's using it to make another me do bad things?" I clarified.

"Yeah. He also may have given you this power." Wow. Why cant I get a power that isn't related to evil stalker guys? That is so not cool. I'm gonna have to talk to him next time I see him. And ask him his name.

"So...what do I do?" I asked.

"You learn to control it. This...may take a while," Kaci commented.

"Hey!"

"I'm serious, Gazzy. This could be really bad."

"And I'm trusting you on this because..." I said pointedly. Well, she _did_ hide the fact that she was a mutant from me. That's some pretty major friendship issues right there, folks. Wow, I just said folks. Maybe y'all are gonna have to deal with some country speak.

"You probably shouldn't. I just needed to be sure you had wings, too. Why do you think I'm friends with you, David with Iggy, Lilly with Fang and Richard with Nudge?" Kaci said. I turned around and stared at her.

"So you're only my friend because you thought I was a mutant?" I asked incredulously. How many syllables was that? Five! I'm getting better at this, Diary.

"No. Well, yes at the start, but now I actually do consider you a good friend," she explained.

"My life is way screwed up," I stated. Kaci eyed my nervously.

"And I really don't need this right now. So, I'm going to check on my sister, goodbye." I started to walk out. Kaci grabbed my arm.

"Hey, family's important and that, but so is education. You should at least wait til lunch." I met her eyes.

"Yeah, I probably should." I tried to yank my arm away, but she held on. Darn it, she's ruining my dramatic exit! "Let go, damn it!"

"Just be careful, kay? Your stalkers dangerous." Then she let go. I stormed out of the bathroom. You know, Diary, I haven't really had a chance to stretch my wings in ages. So as soon as I flew out the doors (punny, Diary. Gotta love it!), I unravelled (think that's the right term. Or is it unfurled? I dunno) my wings, and zoomed upwards. Flying. It's the best feeling in the world.

I realized I haven't actually sat down and wrote, like, proper paragraphs in ages. And you haven't had my rambling! So, without further ado, the top five things on my mind right now:

1\. Why was Angel avoiding everyone? She has been in her room for nearly two weeks. Two weeks! Major pre-teen mood swings, if you ask me.

2\. Why was Iggy friends with David? Honestly. I mean, he might not even be his real friend!

3\. Was it actually me (well, another me who isn't really me who came from a power that Stalker Guy supposedly gave me who was being controlled by said Stalker Guy. Wow, that's confusing) who attacked Angel? Thinking about that made my brain hurt, so let's move on.

4\. How do movies always end up so different from the books they're based on? Like Percy Jackson. Where did that pearl crap come from? And Annabeth was meant to be blonde! And Percy didn't meet Ares! It's truly horrible.

5\. Who the heck was listening to High School Musical?

I could hear the music through the wall. And trust me, I knew Stick to the Status Quo when I heard it. Perks (cough*annoyances*cough ) of living with Nudge. I stood up and walked down the hallway, pressing my ear against every door. Not the bottom floor. I trudged up the steps, listening to the song. It was probably Iggy, knowing him. It was probably his favourite movie. But the noise came from a room before that. I stood in front of the door. Nudge's room was on the bottom floor next to me. Iggy was the next floor up. That left Max, Fang or Angel. Hmm.

I faced the door, and narrowed my eyes. Angel would know I was standing here by now. I should really learn where the flocks bedrooms were, huh? I took a deep, and ran in. Max shot up, and slammed her computer shut. My eyes popped, and I started cracking up.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my room-?!"

"What the hell were _you_ doing, listening to High School Musical?" I shot back. She pointed a finger at me.

"You don't tell _anyone_ about this. And I mean _anyone_..." she trailed off threateningly. I raised my palms in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah. But I have blackmail now," I sang happily. Max's fists clenched. I eyed them warily. "Hey, no need for violence..."

"Whatever. Any news from your stalker?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. But Kaci thinks-"

"You can't trust everything she says, Gazzy."

"I know, but she's my friend. I just-I'm confused, okay? But she thinks I have a new power," I told her miserably. She looked confused.

"Isn't that a good thing? What is it?"

"Well, I can make other versions of myself appear," I began, willing myself to make it happen. Max gasped. I turned, and saw myself standing there. Other me waved. "And, anyway, she thinks Stalker Guy gave me the power, and is using it to spy. And to do the things he did to Angel." Max was silent.

"How trustworthy is Kaci, Gaz?" She asked cautiously.

"Pretty, I guess. I mean, apart from not telling me she was a mutant."

"I think we should believe her for now. Until she know otherwise." I nodded.

"Okay. So-" I was interrupted. By someone screaming. Really? Can I get _one day_ of no screaming people? Seriously.

"That came from Angel's room," Max said, standing up. We rushed down the hallway, and burst through the door. There was a pool of blood on the floor, but no Angel.

"Angel's gone." I don't remember which one of us said it.

"Last time she did that, World War Three broke out in Russia." That was me, Diary. But Angel missing? Not a good sign.

"Oh, god," Max muttered, rubbing her face.

"Pretty sure that's an understatement," I mumbled. She turned to me.

"Call Kaci. This is an emergency. We _need_ to find your stalker right now, before..." she trailed off, and I nodded. Angel was known for, uh, pulling a Snape, let's say. You never knew what side she was actually on. And then, just when you think you've figured it out, she goes and betrays that damn side. It's confusing.

"You got it." I whipped out my phone, and pulled up Kaci's contact. I pressed dial. It rang three times, before she picked up.

"'Ello?"

"Hey, it's, uh, it's Gazzy. Can you get the other guys round here, like, right now?" I asked.

"On our way." Thing I like about Kaci: she doesn't ask questions. She just does. Ten minutes later, we sat opposite each other.

"Angel's missing?" Richard asked. I liked him as well.

"Yeah. And that could be very, very bad," Iggy replied.

"So where would she be?" David drummed his fingers on the table. I resisted the urge to slam my palm on top of them. Fang nudged Lilly. She nodded, and raised her hand.

"I think I know where she might be."

 **If anyone wants to rant about the PJO movies, feel free. I have become newly obsessed with it (reason number two why I haven't updated).**

 **Until next time**

 **HV**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

 **So. It's been a while. I'll blame it on ultimate.**

 **In advance, I wanna apologize for the mythology references which will probably start coming up, since I've been reading Percy Jackson for about, uh, two months, maybe?**

 **Anyway, for those of you who actually read these things, thanks, and we finally find out (I don't wanna spoil it)! It was the best I could come up with, so it's not as good as I'd like, but the stuff I found on the internet, well, let's just say I wasn't comfortable writing it.**

 **So, without further ado (or adue, or however you spell it),**

 **Chapter 11!**

12/9/15

Dear Diary,

I was currently flying over...some town. Dunno which.

"Hey, where exactly are we going? You were pretty vague," I called. . The older kids had gone off to discuss the issue of Angel's disappearance. It was pretty sad they left me out, seeing as I'm her _sister_ -wait, brother. Brother, Diary. I hate this pen. I really should move to the internet. Fun fact of the day: Hermes invented the internet, if you believe in Greek mythology. Bonus fact: once, Zeus' tendons were ripped out and-

"Hey, Gaz, what you writing?" Max yelled. Crap. Writing in midair is hard, Diary. Max nearly made me drop you. And yeah, I was writing while we were flying, because I _thought_ no one would notice. But Max did.

"Uh, experiment log?" I tried, then winced. That's what I'm meant to be hiding from Max! Damn.

"You know what, I don't even wanna know. Just don't let me see it again." Thank the gods, she didn't read it. Now _that_ would be embarrassing. Luckily, Max didn't realize it was a diary I was writing in, so I was safe.

"That's it there, right?" Fang called, pointing to a small island covered by one big, seemingly abandoned building.

If you have kept up to date with The Flock of Our Lives, you would know that solitary islands with solitary seemingly abandoned buildings and mutant bird kids don't mix well. We landed on an (shock horror) _abandoned_ stretch of beach.

"Well," Max said dryly. "This is welcoming."

"You think it's a trap?" Fang asked. She nodded.

"Definitely. Which means we came to the right place. Let's check out that building." Oh, yes, let's go check out the creepy abandoned building. Great idea, Max. Your leader skills are superb.

Richard and David had decided to catch a boat rather than be carried by one of us, so they would be a bit late to the party. Kaci and Lilly were with us, though.

"Is that the building?" I asked. Lilly nodded.

"Yes." She's worse than Fang, I tell you! And that's pretty damn hard to beat. We trekked through the bushes, and after much swearing (thanks to Iggy), complaining (also thanks to Iggy), and injuries (all of us were guilty of that), we made it to the massive stone building. And I mean _massive_. It was like they'd stolen a small country, and put the stone walls around it. Heck, knowing Stalker Guy, they probably had.

"This doesn't look suspicious at all. Like, _no way_ ," Nudge said, her eyes wide.

"Right. So, I guess we go through that door there?" Max pointed to a creaking, tattered wooden door. It'd probably fall off the hinges as soon as someone touched it.

"Lead the way!" Iggy said cheerfully. We filed in through the door, and we were met by absolute darkness. It was scary, I tell you.

"Okay, guys. Stay close. You don't know when we might- _crap_!" Max yelped.

"Max?" Fang called. No answer, which was really weird for Max.

"Um. This is starting to creep me out," Kaci offered. I nodded. It was so dark, I could just barely make her out.

"So, Max is gone. We need to find her," Fang said determinedly. At least, I thought it was Fang. Iggy didn't speak that deeply, so I'm assuming it was. I hoped.

"Hey, is there a torch or something? Cause- _woah_!" Iggy exclaimed.

"Iggy?" I yelled. You wanna bet on whether he answered, Diary?

"This is bad," Nudge said needlessly. I'm pretty sure everyone nodded.

"Hold on, I have a torch," Lilly said quietly. Thanks for thinking of that earlier. When she lit it, Max, Iggy and Fang were no longer with us.

"Oh. Oh, damn," I said. The others nodded grimly.

"There's nothing here," Nudge pointed out.

"So where'd they go?" Kaci asked. We all stood there, looking stupid and doing nothing. Then the ground opened up beneath Lilly, and swallowed her whole, like Kronos eating his godly children-

Okay. I've really got to stop with the mythology references. But we're learning that stuff in history, so don't blame me! I found all the cannibalism stuff interesting.

"Nudge, I'm guessing you're next," Kaci swallowed.

"What? Why?" She started to panic.

"Max was first. Then Iggy. Then Fang, and Lilly. It's in age order. And you're the oldest here," she explained simply.

"Oh. Well, see you on the other side, right?" Nudge tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace. The ground suddenly opened, and she fell down with a small yell. Kaci turned to me.

"You're next." Jeez, what a nice way to put it. Way to make it sound like I was gonna die. Well, maybe I was. Oh dear, that was a bad thought. What if I die? Wait...wasn't Kaci older than me?

"I'm thirteen, like you. I got put into your year to keep an eye on you," she told me.

"Oh, right. More spy stuff," I said bitterly. She glared at me.

"I was trying to help you! I wanted you to-" I interrupted her.

"To get us to help you? You didn't want to protect us, you just needed us. You _used_ us-"

"Shut up! God, why has it come to this? We can't have a _civil_ conversation anymore."

"And whose fault is that?" I replied coldly, before I felt the ground fall out from beneath me. I tried to snap out my wings, but the space was too small.

Diary, I would like to write down my many revelations about life, and about how I came to peace with the world.

In truth?

My only thought was: CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Well, actually, I think I screamed it. Ah, well.

I woke up. At least, I thought I did. My movements were slow, and I didn't need to breath. I didn't actually feel anything.

"What the heck?" What really came out was more like: wahgaheh? I remembered when Max was describing her time in an isolation tank. This seemed a whole lot like that. Oh, great. I'm stuck in a damn tank. And not even a cool one with guns and awesome explosives! My life blows.

So. What to do in a tank where you can't do anything? Contemplate life?

"Gazzy!" I heard someone call. I slowly (read: painfully tried for about _five whole minutes_ to move my head) moved my head towards the top. Well, what I thought was the top. You can never be sure with tanks. Especially ones that make you not able to move.

Who was at the top?

My vision wasn't the best right then, but I was pretty sure I was staring at Stalker Guy.

Oh, man. Why? He hauled me up, and I lay on the glass floor, coughing, for about ten minutes. Stalker Guy tapped his foot. Impatient, much?

"How have you been, Gasman?" I stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh, just hanging in a freaking _isolation tank_! What the heck do you _think_?" I exclaimed. He chuckled, which made me think he actually was insane.

"Sorry. I needed to talk to you alone." If that doesn't strike you as creepy, Diary, I don't know what will.

"About?"

"You are more special than you know. And your friend is wrong. Assuming is never wise," he droned.

"Wow. That was deep," I noted dryly.

"It may seem trivial, but it is important. I will see you-" I stood up, and waved my arms frantically.

"Wait! Wait, what's your name?" I asked, and felt extremely proud of myself.

"I go by TE," he said snobbily.

"Can I call you Tee? What's your _real_ name?"

"Some people, namely my mother, call me Ted," he began, his face contorting.

"And what's your last name, dude?" I insisted. He pinched his nose, and sighed.

"Ebaire. My last name is Ebaire," he said. I looked at him for a moment. Then I burst out laughing.

"Your name...is _Ted Ebaire_?" I yelped, clutching my stomach. He glared at me sourly.

"Yes. My brother from another mother-" I started snickering. "is named Toxic. And his last name is Gas."

"Your brothers name is Toxic Gas," I deadpanned.

"Yes."

"AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed, rolling on the floor.

"Goodbye, Gasman. See you-"

"In the clouds. I got it," I informed weakly, still holding my sides. After he left, I wandered around the prison, sorry, _abandoned building_. The hallways were dark and cold, and I seriously wished I brought a jacket. Then, I saw the light. Oh, please don't let this be a dumb death scene, and my last words on earth were: in the clouds. I got it. That would be lame. Or, maybe Stalker Guy's, sorry, Teddy-bear's revelation was all a part of my imagination, and my real last words were: And whose fault is that? Ah, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Can we say double lame? The first part might've been cool, but the whole crap thing on the end? No.

Just when I thought I was gonna die, I saw a button. A blue one. Not red. Huh, that's a first. Of course, I pressed it. Some kind of thing opened up above me, and six shapes toppled out. The flock + extras.

"Guys, we have a problem," I began gravelly.

"Oh, joy!" Iggy muttered. I clasped my hands like a true evil person.

"Ted Ebaire's going to destroy the world."

As you can imagine, that went over like a...I dunno. What do people normally say? A ton of bricks? That's boring. How's about a falling elephant?

As you can imagine, that went over like a falling elephant.

Much better.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

 **So. It's been a while.**

 **I don't have any excuses. And I ended it on a cliffhanger, because that's what you do to your readers who have been waiting for a month. I'm turning into Rick Riordan.**

 **Anyway, I don't think I've done a disclaimer yet (oops), so here goes:**

 **I do not own Maximum Ride.**

 **Shocker.**

 **So, here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

13/9/15

Dear Diary,

I'm guessing you want to know what happened. It went a little like this.

Flashback (cue the cool music)

The flock stared at me in stunned silence, gaping. Then someone decided to break it.

"A teddy bears gonna destroy the world?" David said sceptically. I glanced up, and saw him and Richard by the door.

"Oh, you're here," I said dully. Hey, I didn't like the guy! But you probably already knew that.

"Gazzy. What's all this teddy bear apocalypse stuff?" Max asked pointedly. I nodded.

"Er, right. So, this guy named Ted Ebaire-" Some people snickered. "Aka Stalker Guy, wants to blow up the world. Well, I think," I finished convincingly.

"Ted Ebaire-" David snickered, "is your stalker? That's great. You ask him what he's planning?" I scowled at him.

"I couldn't just _ask_ him. He wouldn't tell me-"

"Hey. Quit the macho act. We've got bigger priorities right now. Like, what's his next move?" Kaci cut in. We sat in silence for another few minutes.

Okay, so I may have failed to mention this before, but the button also triggered the floor to open up (again!), and all of us (except David and Richard) were at the bottom of a pit. Good times. Also, it was too small and crowded for anyone to open their wings. Then Richard snapped his fingers.

"I got it!" He raised his palms in front of him, and for a minute I thought he was gonna start dancing the Macarena. Instead, though, he turned his hands over and flicked them upwards. I felt a weird pulling in my gut, and was suddenly flung skyward.

" _Woah_!" I yelled. I think some of the older kids shouted stuff a _tad_ stronger than 'woah', so I won't put it in here. Anyway, I was zooming up, yanked to the side, and then I started falling. I didn't have enough time to snap my wings out, so I landed mucho gracefully in a heap. David looked sheepish.

"Heh, sorry guys. I'm a little rusty with the anti-gravity stuff." The flock all stared at him.

"You have anti-gravity powers," Max deadpanned. He nodded.

"I forgot about it before," he said.

"Right," Max muttered. "You forgot." So that lead to one question which is keeping Max awake at night:

Can we actually trust these people?

Me, I dunno. I guess I'd trust them, if it really came down to it. But if they had to choose between freedom and saving us, I really don't know.

Cue end of the dramatic music.

So yeah. That was yesterday. Right now, we're just lounging around the house. I was currently doing homework. I know, shocker. Anyway, writing a formula for how to find the square root of pi (even though it's _impossible_ ) was seriously putting a damper on my weekend. The homework is _literally_ impossible.

"Gasman doing homework? I thought the world ended ages ago?" Total asked, trotting in to the kitchen. I bit my pencil.

"Total being obnoxious? You'd never know the world _did_ end," I retorted, glaring at my homework. Total hopped up on the stool beside me, and peered over my shoulder.

"The square root of pi? Isn't that, like, impossible?"

"Yep," I replied shortly.

"Why are your teachers giving you impossible homework?"

"The same reason they gave us rubidium and taught us BEDMAS and poetry." Total's nose wrinkled.

"Rubidium? Do they want their school blown up?" I shrugged.

"Who knows. Probably."

"Yo, you know whose room that annoying musics' coming from?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Have you checked Iggy's room?" I asked him. He shook his furry head.

"Not yet. I thought you'd like to know who was jamming out to Poker Face," he answered.

"Lady Gaga? Definitely Iggy," I said.

"Well, I heard someone talking that definitely _didn't_ sound like Iggy." That piqued (proud, Diary? That's a hard word) my interest.

"Okay, let's go. Iggy's room. Lady Gaga. Great." We walked up there, well, Total asked me to carry him, and I did, because he was complaining so much. We stopped outside Iggy's door. There was music coming from there, alright. I took a deep breath.

"What we see may scar us for life. Be prepared for _anything_ ," I told Total gravelly. He nodded seriously. Then I opened the door.

"Ho-"

"-ly-"

"-fudgecakes," I finished. Iggy was there, alright. But so were Max, Fang, and...David. They all froze when we entered.

"Hey, Gazzy. Fancy seeing you here," Max waved, eyes shifting.

"Yeah. Seeing as I _live_ here," I replied nonchalantly. The music was still in the background, but the song had switched. Evacuate the dance floor was now blaring.

"If my myth teacher was here right now, she'd be saying how much this reminded her of Hephaestus that time with Ares and Aphrodite," I muttered. Hey, don't blame me, when I'm feeling...uh, any emotion, pretty much, I spouted Greek references.

"I don't know what that means, but can we forget that ever happened?" Max asked anxiously. Why was she-oh my god. My eyes widened. I pointed my finger at her.

"You're on strike two," I said. She winced.

"You remember that. Right," she muttered.

"I can't believe...your music taste astounds me. I'm just...I'm just gonna go," I mumbled, and turned around. But I didn't anticipate the talking dog, so I tripped over him. And when I first gave you the Grand House Tour, I'm pretty sure I mentioned how Iggy's door was right at the top of the stairs. So I went tumbling down into the empty space. I _really_ hate stairs. When my head hit the ground, I blacked out.

Hey, Gazzy's diary. Max here. I found this in Gazzy's pocket, and thought, what the hey, it might clue me in on a few of his future experiments. But what do you know, it's his _diary_. Do normal thirteen year old guys have diaries? This is probably counted as an invasion of privacy. But he did see me listening to High School Musical and Lady Gaga, so this is my revenge. So here's my commentary on his diary so far.

He makes a _lot_ of Greek references. And horror movie references.

Apparently on a scale of one to ten, I'm only a nine in the anger department. Guess I needa step up my game.

Total left the jam open for two nights. I need to talk to Total about that. How he even opens the jam is beyond me.

Also, remind me never to have Gazzy write my eulogy, if his poetry is as bad as his normal writing. My poem I did in Antarctica ages ago was better than that, and we were pretty much the same age. Plus, that poem was crap.

People in Gazzy's year are weird. And dumb. I mean, even I know not to mess with rubidium. And this is _me_ we're talking about.

I can't believe he's obsessed with a book. And Total accused him of going on a date with Kaci. And he _squealed_ about that book. I knew I didn't raise him right...

I was acting pretty bad when he first told me about Ted Ebaire though. I'll admit that much.

He wrote about what happened when I was comatose, so that was pretty helpful. I mean, I can't believe the cake got taken by Josh Green. And it was a _Dora the Explorer_ cake. That's just too good. There's too much blackmail in this, I think I'm nearly even with the whole music thing.

Gazzy messed up Iggy's chance with Ella. As her sister, and also Iggy's sister (figuratively), it was my job to do something about that. Later.

Adrian laughed when Kaci wiped out. Adrian does not know what rubidium does. Adrian is a douche-y, dumb scumbag.

I never knew Kaci and Gazzy were that good friends. And now they can't go five minutes without arguing. How sad is that? If I was in Gazzy's place, well...yeah, I'd probably do the same as him, but still...

He really hates David. He's not actually that bad. And he _always_ talks about how much he hates David. It's pretty annoying to read, actually. I don't think he will ever get that book deal he talked about once.

Last thing, I swear. I just want Gazzy to see this, and know that I have blackmail. The 'brother from another mother'? And _Toxic Gas_? Who the heck names their kids Ted Ebaire and Toxic Gas?

Oh well. That's all from me, for now. Max out.

When I woke up, I was in the mysterious third room on the bottom floor that no one had taken up. Why did they put me in _here_?!

"We thought your room was too creepy, so we put you in here." I looked up, and saw Max standing over me, grinning.

"Um, thanks. But..." I trailed off when I saw what was in her hand. Oh, no.

"You didn't."

"I did." Her smile widened. I reached up and snatched it out of her hands, flipping through the pages. There. The last time I wrote. Oh, god.

"You-my diary-you-" I sputtered.

"Don't worry. We're even now. I got blackmail on you, you've got blackmail on me. As long as my music tastes don't get out, your secrets' safe with me," Max said brightly. I sighed.

"Fine. You've got a deal."

"Awfully sorry to interrupt, but I need to see Gasman." Max and my heads whipped to the door, where a purple haired girl stood. The one I ran into at the concert.

"One from the concert?" Max breathed. How did she-oh right. She read my diary. I nodded.

"So," the girl stuffed her hands into her pockets. "We have your sister. Ted wants you, for some reason. It's our bargaining chip. Are you going to pay the price?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

 **Hullo, guys! I know it's been a while. But I've had stressful stuff, like homework and United as One coming out. And yes, being the evil person I am, I'm going to make you all wait until the next chapter to find out...well, you'll see what I mean.**

 **I just realized that this story is 82 pages on Word. That's a lot of pages. But anyway, enjoy!**

16/9/15

Dear Diary,

I am _not_ having a good day. Ross and Jason didn't know who's side to pick, so Ross stayed with me one day, then swapped with Jason the next. Surprisingly, _Nevaeh_ actually stooped to hanging out with us. She normally stuck with me and whoever was on Gazzy Duty, but sometimes she mixed it up and hung out with Kaci and her follower for the day.

Anyway, it was Wednesday, and it was first period. Science. And guess what? We _still_ had the same groups. So Kaci, Nevaeh, Adrian and I were stuck at a table. Here's how it worked:

I was ignoring Kaci, and Adrian, because, well, _Adrian_.

Kaci was ignoring me, and also Adrian, because he did laugh at her when she got a concussion at the skateboard park, and is an all around jerk.

Adrian wasn't really talking, because Nevaeh always snapped at him, Kaci always wanted to slap his face off, and I just wanted to punch him in the nose.

Nevaeh, weirdly, was the sort of demented peacemaker. She was only annoyed at Adrian, because he's him. And she isn't exactly Miss Sociality (if that's a word. I think I just invented it. Cool!)

"Hey, Gaz, pass the gloves. I'll get the damn heart, seeing as you lot are too scared," Nevaeh grumbled, and got up to go get the sheep heart. Yes, we were dissecting. Such fun! Now, some of you may think that I would like dissections, but actually, they make me feel sick. I'd been in the position of the heart that Nevaeh was currently holding. Except, well, not dead. But you knew that, because I'm talking to you right now...nevermind.

"What-" Adrian plucked a string with the scalpel. "Is that?"

"Your head if you don't shut up. I'm going to the bathroom. Don't explode anything while I'm gone," Nevaeh said absentmindedly,

"You alright there, Andrew? You seem a bit...pale," Adrian asked slyly, a smirk curving one half of his mouth. Woah! Did you read how descriptive that was, Diary? I'm getting good at this! Maybe that book deals in my reach! Oh, damn, I just spelled reach wrong. Nevermind.

"Shut up," I said, staring at the heart. He picked it up, and examined it.

"This is your kryptonite, Andy? A bloody heart?" He snickered. I swallowed.

"Adrian, shut it," Kaci growled. My head snapped in her direction. Why was she-ah. She had wings, too. She was probably tested as well.

"My, my. Is it the blood? Does that scare you, Kace?" He taunted, shaking his red fingers in her face.

"Bad experience. Drop it, Spittal," she muttered. But he wouldn't let it go.

"Or is it your amazing moral compass, that doesn't think it's right to cut up the poor wittle sheep organs?" She was staring at the ground. I snatched the heart from Adrian, and put it back on the table.

"Are you afraid too, Griffiths?" Kaci's hand snapped out, and I don't know what she did, but in the next second, a fountain of blood was spurting out of the heart. The squirt hit Adrian right in the face, and he stood there in shock while it dripped off his face.

"Oops," she said, smiling sweetly. The room froze, waiting for Adrian's reaction. He wiped a hand over his face, and grinned. Since his head was still covered in blood, though, it looked like he was a potential serial killer. It was scary. Then he reached over the table (with the hand soaked in blood! Creepy, dude!) and picked up the heart, tossing it up and down.

"You're disrespecting it," Kaci said, swallowing.

"Oh, am I? Poor thing. Why don't you hold it for me?" And then he chucked it at her. Kaci, being part bird and having wicked fast reflexes, picked up a glove, caught the heart in it, then wasted no time in throwing it at me. Me, not wanting to be hit by a flying heart, ducked under the table.

"My, Andrew," Adrian tsked, a smirk growing on his mouth. "Well, Kaci? Aren't you gonna tell your boyfriend off for, what, ' _disrespecting it?_ " I felt my face get red. I didn't know if it was because I was angry or embarrassed.

"He's not my boyfriend," Kaci ground out. Because it would be so bad having _me_ as a boyfriend, right?

"Really? I thought the outfit was pretty cute," he sneered at us. I looked over our clothes. I was wearing jeans, and she had denim shorts. We were both wearing blue t shirts. I rubbed my face. Why, Diary?

"Spittal, shut it. We have...bad experiences," Kaci said. I realized I was still ducking, and awkwardly stood up. By now, the whole entire freaking class was staring at us.

"You've already said that, Kace. Woah, you're pale. Too bad. That tan looked pretty nice." He was right. About the paleness, not the tan looking nice. Forget I said anything. But her face was starting to go green.

"Screw your dumb spying. You're my friend. Are you okay?" I asked her. Adrian raised his eyebrows at the spying part.

"School...I was there...the Institute...New York-" she choked out, before stumbling. Nevaeh, who had been weirdly quiet (Nevaeh, quiet! Who woulda thunk it?) and I rushed forward, and caught Kaci right before her eyes closed, and she blacked out.

Now might be a good time to mention the Angel thing. Before you think I'm a jerk for leaving her, I'm not. The girl had given me the choice of meeting her after school today, so I'd taken it. So I was stuck with these idiots for another day. Then, I dunno. It was a swap, which I was certain was a trap. If they played ball, though, I might never come back to this room. This school.

I didn't know if that was good or bad.

I saw Kaci stir from the corner of my eye.

"How're you doing?" I asked her cautiously, edging backwards slightly in case she punched me. Hey, you never know with girls, right? Once, I was waking Max up for watch, and she gave me a concussion.

"Fine. Just...you remember the Institute." It wasn't a question. I nodded gravelly. Hey, that wasn't sarcasm, I swear! I was being serious!

"Well, you know that winged girl you rescued? The one that took all those other mutants?" I nodded again. Where was she going with this? I was missing...English. Forget that, keep talking! I don't wanna do more dumb poetry!

"That was me." Silence. For about a minute. I dunno, I'm not Kronos-

Again with the myth.

Then:

"For real?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I met Lilly there. And...well, you'll meet her later. After school?" She asked me. I hesitated.

"Well, I actually have someone else to meet-"

"Great. You should get going. I'll be-I'll be fine. Hey, there's two of you!" I thought she was hallucinating, then remembered about my new 'power'. When I looked over my shoulder, there was another me standing there, staring at it's (well, I can't really say my, even though it actually IS me-nevermind) shoes.

"Can you, like, go away? It's kind of a bad time," I asked it. It raised an eyebrow at me.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" It asked sarcastically. I scowled at it, and eyed the things in the room.

"If I kill you, do I die too?" I mused. It held up his hands.

"Rude much, Gaz? Besides, it's your power, so you obviously made it be here somehow," Kaci interjected. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Don't side with my clone! What kind of friend _are_ you?" I asked her incredulously.

"An awesome one?" Me 2 suggested. I looked at it.

"Abracadabra, be gone!" I yelled. Nothing happened.

"Bibbily bobbily boo!" Still no luck.

"Kazam!" He was still there. Then I thought of something.

"Hey, Me 2. Do you like poetry?" I asked. Kaci facepalmed beside me.

"Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief.

"Like, Shakespeare 'n stuff?" It asked. "Uh, sure?"

"Brilliant! Go to room twenty five and sit beside the guy with blonde hair, okay? But the one with the lighter hair, and it's real messy. Don't sit next to Peyton on accident," I warned.

"Right. Um, what's his name?" It asked. It sounded kinda British. Which was weird. Me with a British accent.

"Ross Taylor. There should be a brunette guy there, too. Tell them Kaci's in the sick bay."

"Okay. Well, um, see you later." He said awkwardly, and headed out of the room.

"You're evil," Kaci observed.

"I try," I replied simply.

"You realize people will know somethings weird, right?"

"Yeah. But most of this school's crazy anyway, so it's not like it'll be that bad," I said smartly. Is that a word? I'm not sure. It is now.

"Right. Well, do you just wanna leave, then? You can meet the fifth member of my flock," Kaci suggested. I shrugged.

"May as well, I guess. Who needs poetry, anyway?"

"Okay. She'll probably still be in class-"

"She goes to this school?" I interrupted. She sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah."

"So...I've been going to this school, and so has she, and I haven't noticed her?" I asked incredulously.

"You don't actually know what she looks like, so you couldn't really know anyway-"

"Let's go, I wanna meet her," I said, and walked out of the room. I took about five steps before I stopped. Wait. I didn't know where we were going. I turned back, and saw Kaci standing in front of me, her arms crossed.

"Hey, um, ladies first?" I said sheepishly, gesturing in front of me.

"Sure, Gasman. Sure." With that, she took of down the hall. Holy crud, how was she walking so _fast?_ I jogged to catch up with her.

"How do you walk so fast?" I asked her.

"You live with David long enough, you pick it up pretty fast," she replied, smiling. So _that's_ why Iggy had started to walk faster! Plus, he was already really tall and had super long legs. He could be like Usain Bolt! The Usain Bolt of mutant freaks. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

"Gazzy, hurry up! She'll literally be right outside," Kaci called.

"How d'you know?" I asked curiously. Kaci grinned, and I was actually scared because she looked really evil and creepy.

"Because. She can read minds."

 **And that's that! You'll meet 'her' next chapter. Which I've already started, for once.**

 **Until next time:**

 **HV**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

 **'Ello guys! How's life? I don't have a lot to say, except go listen to The Vamps, so here's the story!**

 **Enjoy!**

Dear Diary,

You can imagine how weirded out I was. I mean, Angel was one mind reading mutant too many, but two? Yeesh. That's just asking for disaster.

"You ready?" Kaci asked, smirking.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked nervously, wringing my hands.

"Because you look freaked out. She's not that scary."

"Oh, sure. The mind reader isn't scary. Right," I retorted. She cracked a smile.

"Trust me, you'll be fine. Just don't think anything bad." You'd think I'd be used to that from Angel, but _nooo._ I generally don't like mind readers. I mean, I like Angel, but just without the mind reading powers. Did that make sense?

"Yeah. Perfect sense," a voice spoke. I felt relieved, then froze. Wait, someone had _actually replied…_

"That's right. Someone replied. Spooky, huh?" I spun around, and saw a girl standing there. She had black, red-streaked hair, and these weird green eyes like ecto plasma or something-

 _Yo, I can hear you describing me in your head. Don't call my eyes_ ecto plasma, _okay?_ Holy crap, this was weird. I mean, Angel didn't really use sarcasm in her mind-broadcasting-things, so this was a whole new world. Like that Aladdin song! Oh, dang, there go the song references again.

"You have _really_ weird thoughts," the girl commented.

"You have _really_ annoying thoughts," I retorted. "' _Don't call my eyes_ ecto plasma _, okay?'"_ Her eyes widened, making them look like those massive drops of acid-y stuff in this computer game I used to play-

"Stop that thought right now. First, that mimicking thing was creepy. Second, that just proves your thoughts are weird." Kaci looked between us, an amused look on her face.

"Well, Gaz, this is Jinx. Jinx, meet the Gasman," she said.

"So this guys in the other flock, yeah?" Jinx asked, looking at me. I nodded yes. "So you're the reason that girls waiting outside, then?" I felt my face go pale, and Kaci raised her eyebrows at me.

"What girl?" She asked curiously, trying to peer outside. I quickly planted myself between her and the door.

"Yeah, you probably don't wanna get mixed up with all that…" I trailed off.

"Gaz, get out of the way. I wanna see the girl you're meeting." She tried to side-step me, but I moved in front of her every time.

"See, I'm kinda supposed to go meet her alone, or…" I choked on the last word, and thought about Angel. Wait...Angel can read minds. So if she's here, she might be able to hear me! Thinking about that was my first mistake.

"Who's Angel?" Jinx asked. I whipped my head in her direction, which was mistake number two. While I was trying to come up with an answer, Kaci ducked past me and ran for the door. "Hey! Kaci, don't go out there! She'll-" I started running toward the door, Jinx right behind me. Then she stopped.

"Hey, Gazzy," she began nervously.

"What?" I asked over my shoulder, slowing down a bit. Did she not get that Kaci and Angel were in danger?

"Um, you might wanna know. There's only two people out there. And none of them are named Angel." I stopped, and turned back to face her, eyes narrowing.

"If this is a joke-"

"It's not a joke. Kaci's my friend too, you know. Going out there would be suicide, if that psycho lady's thoughts are anything to go by," she explained seriously.

"How do I know you're not lying?" I asked quietly. She raised her eyebrows.

"Why would I lie? But if you really want proof…" She walked over to me, and put her hand on my forehead. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What are you _doing_ -" She held a finger to her lips, glaring at me with her scary plasma eyes. Then my world flipped upside down, and I was outside. Also in a choke hold, because random teleportation wasn't already great enough. I glanced at the person the person who was holding me. She wasn't facing me, but I'd know that purple hair anywhere.

" _Bria?_ " I asked. Well, tried to ask. The words didn't actually leave my mouth. What the heck?

 _You're seeing through Kaci's eyes. Look around. Do you see Angel?_

I didn't, but maybe Bria had hid her somewhere. I mean, I was supposed to be alone.

 _Gazzy. She's not there._

 **Hey, Jinx, does Kaci know that I'm invading her personal bubble?**

 _I don't know. I've never tried this before/_

 **What if I'd died because of it? Or gone in a coma? Or-**

 _ **Gaz, shut up. You're making this situation even worse.**_

 **Kaci? You can hear me?**

 _ **No, I can't. Of course I can, you're in my body! So, you planning on rescuing me any time soon?**_

 **Well, I'm kinda stuck right now, so unless Jinx would get me out-**

 _ **Whatever. Jinx? A little help here. I'd like to be the only one in my body, thanks.**_

 _Technically, his body is still here, on the ground beside me. And I'm working on it._

 **Can you work a little harder? Because my body's probably getting lonely-**

 _ **It doesn't have a brain. It can't be lonely.**_

 **Fine. Can you work a little harder, because I don't really want to be stuck here any more. That better?**

 _ **What? No, that's-**_

 _Guys,_ shut up. _You're giving me a headache._

 _ **Then hurry up!**_

 _Yeah, I-I'm trying._ I sensed panic behind her words. She'd stuttered. Did that mean…

 **Hey, Jinx?**

 _Yeah?_

 **You** _ **do**_ **know how to fix this, right?**

 _Well, it was my first time trying, and I don't know-_

 _ **Oh, perfect. I'm stuck like this. Joy.**_

 **Hey, I'm not all bad!**

 _ **No. You're worse.**_

 **I actually think I'm a decent person.**

 _ **Well-**_

 _Guys,_ please _shut up. Maybe you can get some inside info, bust Angel out of wherever she is. I'll take your, uh,_ body _back to David and them, since they know where you guys live. We'll come, okay? Try send me a message._

 _ **What? Jinx-**_

 **No, no, no. This can't be happening-**

 _I'm sorry._

Then everything snapped back into focus, and I saw Bria practically growling.

"Well? Why'd Gazzy send _you_ out for reinforcement?" Kaci struggled against her, which meant that _I_ was struggling, too, but it didn't feel like I was doing anything myself. It was weird, Diary. Really weird.

"He-he didn't. He was trying to _stop_ me from coming out here. But hey, boys, who listens to 'em?" Kaci cracked, trying to pry Bria's arm from around her neck. She didn't look amused.

"Yeah. Funny story, I don't believe you."

"Gazzy's not here right now, you know. He's at the skate park, or something."

"Really? How interesting," Bria noted. She glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, Ebair, get out here!" Then Ted stepped out from behind a tree. Woah.

 _Gazzy, I think I can get you back to the flock without anyone noticing you're gone._

 **Really? How?**

 _Remember your clone?_

I wondered how she knew about that, then remembered she could read minds.

 **Yeah. What about-oh.**

 _Yeah. If we bring the clone home, your flock won't worry._

 **Don't we want them to come try rescue me?**

 _If they find out about what I've done, they'll hate my squad, and we'll never be able to work together. And we need to do that to defeat Ted._

 **Right. Well, you hurry and come help us when you're ready.**

"So, you found a girl," Ted said. Hey, that rhymed! I thought I heard Kaci sigh in my head. Well, sorry, but it's true.

 _ **Cause I found a girl…**_

 **What the heck?**

 _ **It's a song.**_

 **Right.**

"Do you wanna take her to the warehouse where we're keeping the other girl? They'll come rescue her," Bria suggested.

"Yeah. You go. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"See ya." Bria carried Kaci (I'm calling her Kaci, because saying me or we is just weird) over to a black van.

 **A** _ **black van**_ **. They couldn't even have got a more original car?**

 _ **Maybe in the villain shop, they only**_ **have** _ **black vans.**_

 **Villains are weird.**

 _ **Got that right.**_

"Alright. You're going in with the other girl. Hope you live long enough to see your friends again," Bria drawled, before climbing out of the van. She'd driven to some place which we couldn't see through the blocked out glass. No one had spoken the whole drive.

 _ **She's leaving us in a van? Is she for real?**_

 **Well, technically she's only leaving you in a van…**

 _ **Oh, shut up.**_

I really hoped Jinx would come soon. Because I don't know how long I-wait.

 **Um, Kaci? What happens when you need to pee?**

She was silent for a minute. I was about to ask again when she replied.

 _ **Then I'll look at the ceiling. Any other weird questions?**_

 **How about when-**

 _ **You know what, I don't even want to hear what dumb stuff your mind's come up with. Just...let me sleep, okay? I'm tired.**_

Way to be subtle, Kace, way to be subtle. But I sat (well, you get what I mean) in silence, and stared up at the ceiling.

Okay, Gazzy. How the _hell_ do you get out of this one?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**

 **Sup guys! It's been a while, huh? I think half of you have given up reading this, cause I'm getting way less reviews. Maybe y'all are just lazy. Anyway, I'm going away tomorrow, so there won't be any updates on any of my stories for at least a week, so try and cope until then, okay? Okay. Great.**

 **On with the story.**

 **Enjoy!**

17/9/16

Dear Diary,

The next morning, I woke up and tried to open my eyes. Except they didn't open. Oh, god, maybe that wasn't a dream-

 **Uh, Kace, can you wake up? I can't open my...your...I can't** _ **see**_ **anything and it's dark and I'm kinda a little afraid of-**

 _ **Huh?**_

 **Thank god you're awake. So, you mind** _ **opening your bloody eyes?**_

 _ **Thanks for asking so nicely.**_ Well that wasn't very nice. She did open her eyes though.

 **Still in the van.**

 _ **I'm getting kinda sick of vans.**_

 **You're not the only one.** I watched the grey wall in front of me-us, you know, this si getting really confusing.

 **Did Jinx say when this would wear off?**

 _ **She didn't know. It could be minutes, weeks, years-**_

 **I hope not.** That was supposed to be in my head, Diary. But, y'know, when you're _sharing_ a head with someone, privacy isn't exactly your top priority.

 _ **Well, thanks**_

 **Hey, you don't wanna be stuck with me either!** She shut up after that. Which actually made it quite lonely. I was about to say something, when the door cracked open. That was probably a good thing, because I had no idea what I would've said. Kaci's eyes snapped toward the door, and there stood:

A, Max and the flock coming to save us (yeah, right)

B, Ted and Bria ready to torture us in slow and painful ways

C, All of the above

D, Ted's long lost brother, Toxic Gas

To all you suckers who guessed B and think you are right and that I'm going to reward you with virtual cookies or whatever, then let me be the first to tell you (I mean, in case Kaci can suddenly read my thoughts and wants to butt in first) that it is _not_ B. It is, in fact...yes, C. Well, the flock weren't coming to save us, because Ted and Bria had trapped them obviously, and now they were here. And...oh dear.

 **Is that...Gazzy II?**

 _ **It is indeed**_

 **What, is it stalking me now?**

 _ **It's posing as you. Everyone thinks it's only me in here**_

 **Ah. Right.** Max was looking furious (when doesn't she?), and glaring at Bria, who was pinning her arms behind her back.

"What the hell are you trying to achieve here?" She bit out, her scowl deepening. Oh no. She was going into scary mode. Bria smirked, and squeezed Max's wrists tighter.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Too bad you won't be around to see it." The rest of the flock (who I didn't really notice before, to be honest) froze.

"What's that meant to mean?" Iggy asked, drumming his fingers together, even though his hands were tied. Weirdo.

"You won't be alive when we take control," Ted replied. Bria shot him a dirty look. "Sorry. I mean that we'll have used you as an example to...implement our leadership."

"Ted, shut it. Well, now you know our lovely plan thanks to my chatty friend here," Bria said pointedly.

"Wait, no we don't. Could you explain it a bit more, Ted?" Max asked sweetly. He looked like he was about to open his mouth, but Bria intervened before he could give anything away.

"Dude, if you don't _shut up,_ I will personally castrate you alive," she threatened. That got him to be quiet.

"Well, call if you need anything, and we'll do our best," Bria smiled cruelly, before shoving the others in and slamming the door. Funnily enough, none of Kaci's flock were there.

"I really hate that guy," Max muttered.

"Hear, hear," Iggy replied under his breath. Kaci decided to speak, and on instinct, I tried closing my mouth. It didn't actually do anything, really, but she did stumble before saying her next sentence.

"So, where's my flock?" The question hung in the air, and no one answered for a while. Guess who broke the silence?

"We don't know. They disappeared a little after you guys," Fang answered quietly. Yep, that's right, _Fang answered first._ All on his own, like a grown man. Proud of you, Fang.

"What the heck?" Everyone turned to stare at Kaci.

 _ **Crap.**_

"Um, you okay, Kaci?" Nudge (who had been weirdly quiet) spoke up. I felt Kaci's head nod, and her face heat up.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Fine."

 _ **What the heck did you just think? About Fang? That was really, really weird**_

 **Crud. You heard that?**

 _ **Well done, Sherlock. Gold star**_

 **You weren't supposed to be able to hear that-**

 _ **Oh shoot. What if we start being able to hear...**_ **all** _ **of each other's thoughts**_

 **Oh no, I'm not ready for that kind of friendship yet**

 _ **Oh god. Frick. Why the hell couldn't it have been...I dunno,**_ **David-**

 **Oh, no freaking way in hell!**

 _ **What d'you have against him, anyway?**_

 **Nothing...why has my clone not said anything? It's being un-me-like**

 _ **Un-me-like. Wow, Gaz-**_

"Hey, Kaci, you okay?" I saw Nudge's hand in my line of vision.

"Um, fine. Why?"

"You just blacked out for a bit. I think," Gazzy II piped up. Oh, so _now_ he speaks when Kaci blacks out. What the heck, other me? Start acting more...me like.

 _ **So you're saying you wouldn't care if I passed out. Thank you so much**_

 **You're no-you know what? Never mind**

"Really? That's weird," Kaci replied.

"Have you seen Angel? We haven't found her yet, and Gazzy says nothing happened with the deal he had with Bria," Max asked worriedly. I stared at Gazzy II. He was slouching against the wall, and looked real casual. Why the heck did he look so relaxed?

 _ **Cause that's what you normally look like?**_

 **Really?**

 _ **Yeah. You're real chilled out**_

 **Huh.**

 _ **You learn something new every day.**_ No one said anything for ages, and just leaned against the side of the van, wondering how we were gonna get out of this one. I spent a few minutes pondering the likelihood of me blowing up the van and us staying alive when it hit me.

 _ **What?**_

 **Hold on a minute, okay? Close your eyes and don't talk to me. I think I've got an idea**

 _ **I'll leave you to it, then.**_ I concentrated, and tried to remember how I'd thought up Gazzy II. I mentally closed my eyes (cause I mean, I can't exactly do it in real life, because Kaci's in control of her eyes and...yeah), and thought hard. I conjured up a picture of me, and waited. Something snapped at the back of my mind, and I opened my eyes. I stumbled back a bit when I saw Kaci lying on the ground a few feet away from where I was standing. Gazzy II was still slumped behind me. The rest of the flock was staring at me with wide eyes. So what the heck just happened? Kaci broke the shock.

"Well, I think you solved my problem. But I'm pretty sure your one just got bigger." But Jinx took my body home with her, right? God, that sentence sounded weird. But that meant I wasn't in my own body. So…

"Holy crap, I did it! Guys, meet Gazzy III," I announced. As you can imagine, they were all really weirded out, so me and Kaci had to explain the whole situation to them. After about an hour (explaining stuff to us without us interrupting and asking heaps of random questions isn't possible, so it took forever), they were all up to date.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there like an idiot, or get these ropes off us?" Iggy asked impatiently. Oh, right.

"Oh, um, yeah," I replied smartly. I started with Max's, because she's really good at untying knots. I dunno why, it's just this thing she's always been good at. Maybe untangling her earphones after listening to High School Musical in secret. Hmmm.

"So you're stuck in the body...of your clone," Fang clarified once Max had untied him (of _course_ she'd freed him first. Least surprising fact of the year over here, people). I nodded.

"Yep. Just amazing."

"What do we do when they come get us?" Iggy asked eagerly, but everyone already knew Max's answer.

"Kick some bad guy butt." Our plan was to wait until they came to feed us, but if you were an evil villain wanting to 'dispose of' your captives, would you bother feeding them? No, I didn't think so. So we were waiting and wallowing (big word there, aye Diary?) in our boredom when Nudge snapped.

"Why are we waiting? They should be here by now! This van's so dark. There should be a thing as car lighting-is that a thing?-and they should get it because this van is horrid and damp and dull and dark and-"

"Nudge, please. I'm trying to think," Max said. Nudge wisely shut her mouth.

"Maybe...if we yell, they'll come down? I dunno," Max shrugged. "What _can_ you do in this situation?" I thought about that, then grinned. I could embarrass Max, _and_ hopefully get out of this dumb van at the same time! What could go wrong?

"We do something so weird that they can't _not_ come down," I began, tapping my finger-tips together like some evil villain dude. "Max, do you happen to have your iPod?" Her mom had bought us all phones, and Max had become pretty addicted to hers. She hesitated, before reluctantly handing it over.

"There's no signal, so you can't call anyone," she said sulkily. I grinned widely at her.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not planning on calling anybody." I opened her playlist, and scrolled through the options 'til I found an interesting song. "Let me just remind you that this is on Max's playlist. I advise that you sing along, so they wonder what's up and come down here. Capiche?" Everyone nodded, wondering what the heck I was doing. Max's face was a mix between a scowl and horror. I felt my smile widen, and pressed play.

"Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy…" I turned up the volume as loud as it could go, which was pretty loud.

"OMG Max, you like Kesha?" Nudge exclaimed, her hands waving around her face. She started singing after that, and let's just say that if Bria and Ted _did_ come, it would be to shut her up, not out of curiosity. I blocked my ears, and everyone else did the same. A few minutes later, there was a banging noise just outside the door. We all froze, except for Nudge, who couldn't hear over her singing. An annoyed face poked through the gap. He looked kinda like Ted, but not exactly.

He stared us down. "What the _heck_ do you think you're doing?" Nudge closed her mouth, and flashed a sheepish smile.

"Singing. Care to join in?" You can imagine how that went down.

 **So there it is. As always, if anyone has ideas, I need them, cause I'm just making this whole plot up on the spot.**

 **One thing; do you guys have any favourite pairings in MR? Because I** ** _might_** **be able** **** **to put them in. If you have any at all. This is totally not me just wanting a plot. Really.**

 **HV**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**

 **Okay, I hope I've fixed the dumb glitch that's making this show up in code, because I'm _really_ tired of writing this stupid authors note every time. Wish me luck.**

 **Enjoy! (not even gonna put the full snide remark about this)**

17/9/15 (continued!)

Dear Diary,

"Singing," he deadpanned, obviously unimpressed. We all gave him wide, toothy grins, which probably didn't look that good because we all looked like homeless street children. Which, okay, we were for like four years, but that doesn't matter. We had a home. Technically, sure, Dr M owned it, but she let us use it, so yeah.

"Yup. Kesha," I added helpfully. You know, in case he didn't know the iconic song.

"I can tell," he replied dryly. Hey, just trying to be helpful, mon. That sounded Jamaican! I could totally pull off the green and red and yellow hat thing! Bob Marley, watch out.

Max got straight to the point. "So, I'm assuming you didn't just come down here to talk about Kesha?"

"No," he answered. "My dork brother wanted me to come shut you up." He reached into his pocket and started to fish around for something.

"So you're Toxic?" I inquired politely. He looked up from his pants-okay. That sounded really weird. Ignore that. He looked up from his pocket and met my gaze.

"How'd you know? Wait, nevermind. Teddy told you?" I nodded. "Jeez. That guy can't keep his bloody mouth shut." He managed to find a pack of Doritos (how he fit them in his pocket, I don't know. He must have super jumbo deluxe size pockets), and was now munching on them nonchalantly. Right in front of us hungry children, too.

"I can hear crunching. Who's got the Doritos?" Iggy asked loudly. Toxic shot him a surprised glance.

"How did you-"

"He's blind," I informed him. At his blank stare, I realized that didn't help. "He's got good hearing. Like a bat."

"Right," he replied skeptically. The van lapsed into an awkward silence again. Except for Toxic's Dorito crunching, which was seriously loud. I'm talking, like, German tank shooting loud. Not that I've ever heard one. Just assuming.

I decided to break the quiet. "Awwwwwkwaaaaard." Everyone's dull stares turned to me, and I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there staring at the ceiling so I wouldn't have to look at anyone else.

"Gazzy," Nudge began. "Why are you staring at the ceiling? Because you might get neck cramp, and then we might have to amputate it-"

"Nudge," Fang interrupted. "If you amputate his neck, then he'd die." Wow, thanks, guys. I'm feeling so loved right now. Really. I'm talking Justin Bieber level of love right now, because everyone's started liking him now for some weird, demented reason. I'd been hearing his dumb new songs everywhere. Like, one time me and Iggy went to IKEA to get some stuff for our house, and Let Me Love You was playing. Then, we wanted a refund because Fang wanted a black desk, so we had to go back and exchange it. And the same stupid song was playing. Why? Why do people play the same songs so much?

I'm ranting about Justin Bieber in my diary. I am officially reaching new lows.

"Well, maybe he wants to die," Nudge blurted lamely. I looked at her incredulously.

"Why would I want to die? I've nearly died plenty of times, thank you very much, and I don't intend on doing it any time soon. Full stop. Period. End of sentence." Iggy opened his mouth, and I kept talking before he could correct my grammar. "And yeah, Iggy, I know they all mean the same thing."

"Well, isn't that a relief," he drawled sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at him, then scowled as I remembered he couldn't see it. "I'm sticking my tongue out at you."

I don't recommend saying that sentence. It just makes you sound like an idiot.

I stopped thinking about how dumb I was (which isn't a very happy thought process) when Toxic spoke up again.

"It's your lucky day. I'm busting you guys outta here." I don't think anyone heard him except for me, and I pressed my palms to my cheeks.

"What, why?"

He shrugged. "My brother's a total idiot. Bria's smart but she's just...well. Don't even get me started. Plus, I'm bored, and I need something to do."

I whooped, and bounced over to the exit. "Yo, you losers get off your butts and come on! We're getting outta here!" I yelled eloquently.

"What?" Max asked immediately. Oh, so now you pay attention.

"Toxic's letting us out of here," I repeated slowly. Her eyes rolled, and she turned to the rest of the flock.

"Group huddle. Right now." Everyone gathered in a corner, except for Toxic, who idled awkwardly by the door.

"I'll just..um, yeah," he said, stepping out of the van and closing the door. Our gazes turned from the door back to Max.

"We can't trust him." I rolled my eyes. Who would've guessed she'd say that? Not me, for sure!

"I'm with Max," Fang said. Will everyone quit with the predictable phrases? I mean, jeez.

"Why would he offer to let us go if he was on Ted's side when we're already captured? That wouldn't make any sense," Nudge pointed out.

"It could be a trap," Kaci said.

"How?" I asked.

"Maybe they're going to track us."

"But they already have us here. That would be dumb," I remarked.

"I dunno. It just seems dodgy."

"I say we go for it," Fang said. Dude, you just said you were with Max. You better explain yourself or you're toast.

"Why's that?" Max. Duh, Diary.

"Well," he said. "We've done stupider stuff. What's this gonna cost us?" He let that sink in, and Max finally nodded.

"Okay. Yo, Toxic! We're ready to escape now!" He slid the door open and jumped back in, shutting it behind him. If he brought out a knife, this'd be a perfect horror movie set. Just like my old room. Crap, why'd I think that? Now I'm getting paranoid.

"Great. Let's roll."

"What? Aren't you going to let us out of here?" Max demanded. A grin split his face.

"We are. We're going to steal the van." The van. We were going to steal the van. Again. We really needed to stop stealing vans.

But really Diary, why did none of us think of that sooner? Wow, we really were idiots.

"Of course we're stealing a van," Iggy muttered. "Last time we stole one just wasn't a good enough reason to stop." Oh, yeah. Last time we'd taken some poor shmucks van, we'd got mauled by Erasers and Iggy and I were the only ones to escape. But hey, I escaped! That was good enough for me.

"You're still not driving," Max told him gravely. He threw up his hands.

"Why the hell not? Surely I can't be worse than you." Ooh, burn.

"Why don't I drive?" Toxic suggested. "Because I actually have a license."

"That sounds like a plan! Great! Let's roll," Fang said loudly, directing Max and Iggy towards the back of the van.

"Hey ho, hey ho, stealing vans is a big no," I muttered quietly. Somehow, I didn't see this ending well. But maybe that's just me. No? Not just me? Thought so.

"Eighty-five bottles of beer on the wall, eighty-five bottles of beer," Iggy sang.

"For the hundredth time, shut up," Fang groaned, leaning his head back against the wall. Max was riding in front so Toxic didn't do anything he'd regret, so there was no one to tell us to quit being obnoxious. But Iggy was taking it too far.

"Take one down, pass it around-"

Fang interrupted again. "And smash it on Iggy's head so he'll freaking shut up." For some weird, unexplainable reason, it didn't make him be quiet.

"How about I Spy?" I snorted.

"Yeah. I'll start. I spy something beginnin-"

"You forgot the 'with my little eye'," Iggy pointed out. I glared at him.

"Really? I don't care. I spy something beginning with I."

"Iggy?"

"No, idiot," I replied.

"What a burn," Kaci drawled. I don't know how long we were driving for, but finally we pulled over. The door slid open, and Max stood there wielding cash.

"Anyone hungry?" We all leaped towards her, and she slammed the door before we could reach her, only leaving a crack so we could hear her. "There's a Maccas. I want two of you to come with me to help carry the food. So, who's it gonna be?"

"I'll come," I said before anyone else could.

Max shrugged. "Sure. Who else?" Nudge raised a hand.

"I'll get some vegetarian stuff, so I'll make sure I get what I want."

"I thought you were over that whole vege thing?" Iggy asked.

"I like not eating animals when I can. It's refreshing."

"So, Dr M's roast dinners?"

Nudge stared at him. "How could anyone turn down one of her meals? She's the best cook ever!"

"Well," Max interrupted. "Let's go. We're kinda parked illegally, so we gotta hurry. Plus this van doesn't have a proper number plate, or registration, so…"

"We'll get arrested if a cop car comes past," I supplied helpfully.

"You know, we've never been arrested before," Iggy mused. "We've committed more felonies than anyone, yet we've still got a clean record."

"So let's not make it a habit. Come on," Max said, and opened the door further. I jumped out, and was nearly blinded because of how bright it was.

"Holy crap!" I yelled, and turned back to the van. Which was white. "Agh!" I covered my eyes, and heard Nudge's snickering behind me. Bringing my arm down sheepishly, I looked at Max, who was glancing at me with raised eyebrows. "Uh, jeez. It's bright." Good job, Gazzy. That almost beats 'I'm sticking my tongue out at you'. We headed in, and the smell of fried food hit me. Ah, how I've missed that smell.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The cashier asked boredly. Nudge gave her vegetarian order, then Max and I stepped up. I really hoped we didn't make the store go out of stock.

"Hi," Max said sweetly. Then she started spurting orders, and the poor cashier had to try keep up.

"You want to order twelve burgers, two with no patty, five nuggets, ten milkshakes, five cokes, seven wraps and twenty large fries?" The guy confirmed. Max nodded.

"Yes, please."

"Ma'am, I don't think we're authorised to give out that much food-"

"We're paying," Max interrupted steely, arching one eyebrow.

"That's one hundred and five dollars, miss. I really would recommend cutting down your order," he insisted. This was really reminding me of that time ages ago when we got dinner from that place in New York. I looked up at Max.

"Maybe we should just leave it. Remember last time?"

"Last time, we were at a super expensive stuck-up restaurant run by snobby pricks. McDonald's is not a world class restaurant, so they should be able to just give us our order," she replied firmly. The guy at the counter was pressing a button on his screen thing.

"I'll give you half your order," he said. Max looked ready to argue, but I grabbed her arm.

"That's great, thanks." When the guy had gone to get the order ready, I added, "we might get arrested because of the stupid van, we don't need McDonald's kicking us out as well."

"I bet you're more worried about being kicked out of McDonald's than being arrested," Nudge said.

"What can I say? I love my Maccas." That caused both the girls' eyes to roll. Once we'd got our food, we headed back out to the van and got in. All was well until just after we'd finished our food. That just goes to show how important food is, kiddies. The van pulled over, and since there was a wall separating us we didn't know what was happening.

"What's up?" Fang asked no one in particular.

"I don't know. Maybe there was a firework display, or we're getting arrested just like Gazzy wanted-"

"Hey!" I protested. "I don't want to get arrested."

"Right. But what-" Suddenly the door slid open. I recognized the blue uniforms as soon as I saw them. Cops. Of course. With guns, because American popo just love shooting anything in sight.

"We have reason to believe that you have committed a criminal offence." Okay, that didn't make sense. What was the criminal offence? Did Max leave the parking brakes on? Because it wouldn't be the first time-"

"What? Why?" Iggy demanded.

"You were parked illegally at McDonald's, from which you tried to order large amounts of food. Your vehicle is unregistered. It is a white van, so it may be a kidnapping," the one on the left said. Were they serious? Sure, I'll give them the illegal parking. I'll give them the unregistered vehicle. But ordering too much food from McDonald's? Driving in a white van? What the heck?

"Ten bucks says these aren't real cops," Iggy whispered.

"Ya think?" I murmured back.

"Either way, you're coming with us."

"But this isn't a kidnapping!" Kaci protested. "And, even if it was, why would us people in the back be arrested for?"

"You were seen at the McDonald's-" Okay, I'm sorry, but I had to put this in. Why do people call it the McDonald's? Why not just McDonald's? Anyway. "-and you were willingly ordering. That means you are with them."

"Why would you think it was a kidnapping, then?" Nudge asked.

"Because, it is a white van," the one on the right put in. Again with the freaking white van! These people were ridiculous.

"You are coming with us," they said in unison, sounding slightly robotic. Maybe they were robots, it's not like that was a new phenomenon in our world.

"Maybe they're robots," Fang muttered.

"Any chance we can get outta here?" Iggy asked quietly. Just as we were contemplating that, four more cops stepped behind the others, holding Max and Toxic in choke holds. I wasn't overly concerned about Toxic, because he was Ted's brother, even if he bailed us out. But if Max was caught too…

"You have no choice."

"Are these idiots Flyboys?" Fang asked no one in particular.

"Wouldn't be surprised," Iggy mumbled back.

"Least surprising fact of the century," Nudge added.

"Which means we're screwed," I finished. We all exchanged glances, and seemed to come to a conclusion. Yep, without speaking. And we weren't Max and Fang, and Angel wasn't there! That's called skill, people.

As we jumped out of the van, I 'accidentally' tripped. One of the cops caught me, and his or her hand was solid metal. Okay, so maybe robots.

And that's how over ordering at McDonald's got us arrested by America's worst robot cops. That'll teach you kids to eat healthy and not get too much junk from Maccas. Even if their Chicken Bacon Deluxe is awesome. And their frozen cokes. And their chicken nuggets. And-

You get the point. Maccas is epic, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Gazzy out (because I'm signing out of my diary, now)


End file.
